Brrrrrr....

Pebble! Yes, I know, some explanation necessary. Nanny was trying to teach Principessa to say rock the other day.

• Nanny: Rrrrrrrrrock.
• Princi: Brrrrrrrrr-wock.
• Nanny: No, rrrrrrrrrock. Put your tongue behind your teeth.
• Princi: Brrrrrrrr-wock.
  

A little later, Principessa went to see Nanny again to give her one of the her stones.

• Princi: There you go Nanny. Brrrrrrrrr-pebble.

That still makes me laugh. She's a funny Monkey.

On sports news... Woohoo! Andy Murray is in the final of the US Open. He shall be playing Roger Federer tonight, though I doubt I will be awake to bite fingernails 'watching' him. (No Sky, virtual scoreboards on the computer.) But I am hopeful of good news in the morning!

As for Formula 1. Well, grrrr. After a fantastic race, the last three laps being the best part of the race, it became all a bit dreary. Lewis Hamilton won the race, but because of an incident with Kimi Raikkonen on the last three laps, or there abouts, Hamilton was stripped of the win and docked 25 seconds. This put him into third place. Now, this is what happened. Lewis attempted to overtake Kimi, but Kimi blocked Lewis, pusing him off the track. Travelling along the inside of the chicane, Lewis overtook Kimi as he corrected himself but, following the rules, he gave the advantage back to Kimi before attempting to overtake ligitmitly, therefore no unfair advantage was gained. He managed to overtake Kimi in the next corner, but Kimi once again overtook Lewis. Unfortunately for Kimi, a little while later he spun the car, crashing into the track wall. It was due to these events that, two hours later, Lewis's victory was revoked and given to Filipe Massa instead. So, once again, Ferrari are awarded the win. It makes me wonder what the FIA (does that stand for Ferrari Intercompitition Assistance?) has against McLaren. Ho hum. Think it's time to stop watching F1. Just as it is time to stop watching anything with the term 'Eurovision' prefixing the title. It's all just a load of political bull.

Jumping off the soapbox now.

And House is on, so I can't be bothered linking everything.... Yes, lazy day today.

You know you're entering the Twiglet Zone when...

Principessa turns to you and says:

It's OK Mummy, I'm not James Whale anymore!

Yeah, can't get any more surreal. Although, I wonder what she was dreaming about last night when I asked her to move over (yes, she had invaded my bed. Again.) and she sleepily cried out:

I can't! And I can't fly!

Complete head scratcher!

I think I will have to think about getting this essay written. I haven't looked at it over the weekend. I know I need to, and that I just need to prod it to get started, but an enormous sense of apathy resides in my brain. I think my synapses must be on holiday because my brain isn't firing up at all. Ho hum! Or maybe it's just that I want A215 to start. Impatience...

Principessa-ly!

Asking Principessa what she wanted for tea tonight:

Me: Do you want peas?
Princi: No, no peas.
Me: Do you want sweetcorn?
Princi: No, not sweetcorn.
Me: Do you want carrots?
Princi: No, they are too blue. *Mind ticks as she realises carrots aren't blue* No, they are too carrotly.

Ever since, thing have been decidedly "ly"!

Me: Do you like your beach shorts?
Princi: Yes, they are very beachly.

Nanny: Are you sure you don't want peas?
Princi: No, they are too pealy.

Anyway. Time to get a little miss to bed and then attempt an essay. *Sigh*

Verb creation

Principessa has started making up her own verbs. Yesterday, when coming down the stairs she held my little finger while resting her other hand and chin on the arm of the stairlift. Somehow or other she managed to knock her chin.

"Ow," she said.
"Awww, you okay? You daftie," I said.

Then, a couple of steps later she knocks her chin again. On purpose this time.

"Ow! I just daftied again, Mummy!"

I love it! You can't beat a bit of verbage!

And to finish;

*DRUMROLL*

Presenting, for your viewing pleasure,

ROCK MONSTER!

Turning to ice cubes.

Principessa is a funny Monkey.

I was drinking a small can of lemo before, and she sidles over to me, eyes fixated on the can.

• Me: Do you want to try some?
• Princi: No. It is hot and will burn my tongue.
• Me: It's not hot, it's cold. Feel. (Holds can out to Princi.)
• Princi: (Touching can.) But if I drink that I will turn into ice cubes.
  

What can you say? Maybe I should stop her watching Tom and Jerry?

Ipod random is NOT a substitute for a good mix tape.

While I love my Ipod, I wish I could work out how to make playlists up! I'm not usually this technophobic, but for some reason I cannot work out ITunes! Yes, I feel very thick. If I could sort out my playlists I wouldn't have to rely on the randomiser so much. Here is just a snippet of the tracks it randomised last night (in order of play):

1. Architecture/plan reading - OUCD3b (need to delete this now the block is done, methinks)
2. Alexandra Leaving - Leonard Cohen
3. Heaven is a Halfpipe - OPM
4. Friends - Adam and the Ants
5. TMA02 Help and Advice - Track 5 OUCD5a (another that needs deleting)
6. You See This Creature - Pygmalion OUCD6
7. Poor Thing - Helena Bonham-Carter/Johnny Depp
   
8. Tonight, Tonight - Smashing Pumpkins

What I wouldn't do for a good mix tape with some rationality to it!

On exciting music news though, I have booked my tickets to see Bryan Adams in October. Woohoo! Chuffed to little mintballs, I am!

Anyway, while I was scribbling things down last night (TMA stuff, random snippets of thought that could be used in stories, Ipod random list) I noticed a caution on the side of my pen:

• Keep pen cap out of mouth, it can obstruct breathing if swallowed.

No poop, Sherlock! (Doesn't sound right that, but no swearing around Principessa!) Could? I would say it would. Talk about stating the bleeding obvious!

At least I have started drafting Q2 of the TMA, after a long day of talking it out with Kirst yesterday. Argh, I don't know if it helped or hindered. I think I only succeeded in confusing myself and straying from the plan I thought I had. Instead of arriving at 'The Death Of Socrates' I ended up at the Slaughtered Lamb. D'oh!

So, to finish today, I think some light relief is needed. This morning Principessa found a pen and decided she needed to tattoo her legs. A little later on, Nanny took her into the bathroom and tried to wash the ink off.

• Nanny: It won't come off, will it?
• Princi: Then we need some Cillit Bang!

Goodbye Louis XVI, I hope!

I'm done. It's written and printed, so all that is left to do now is give TMA04 one final squiz and send it off. *Phew* is all I can say. I really hated every minute of this one. Trying to work a way to write witting and unwitting testimony into one piece of continuous prose was tough. But, when all is said and done, I suppose it has taught me a handy skill that I could translate into my writing. When I get back to my writing, that is.

Principessa is still a funny one. Nanny had been talking about the habits of animals with her the other day, and had told Principessa that she was not an animal, this was the reply that Nanny received:

• Are you an elephant then?

Later on, she turned round to Grandand and said:

• Grandand, I am not a sambwich!

She is a crazy baby! The other day I went to put on Guitar Hero, and Principessa decided she wanted to watch Nick Jr. Here is the conversation:

• Me: Can I play guitar babs?
• Princi: No, I want Nick Jr.
• Me: But you can play on your computer.
• Princi: No. I want Nick Jr.
• Me: But you've switched your computer on. You need to switch it off before you can watch Nick Jr.
• Princi: NO. I WANT NICK JR.
• Me: But you have your computer.
• Princi: And?

I didn't know she had those kinds of arguing skills! It completely killed my argument off, I was far to busy laughing at the turn of events!

Well, time to go and get TMA04 in order. I hope it is okay and not just a load of bull!

Going to the pictures.

So, this weekend, I am planning on taking Principessa to the cinema for the first time. Ooohh, I'm so dubious about this! I am hoping that the huge screen will completely grab her attention and encourage her to stay in her seat.

She has been talking a lot about going with Nanny, and this morning she told me what was happening;

• "We are going to Betsycar to go to the cinemark and eat popcork."

I love the way she talks! Except when she makes me feel guilty. I was trying to clean up the bedroom earlier and Principessa was jumping around, making a general nuisance of herself. I threw a t-shirt onto the bed, but she was so engrossed in jumping about that she jumped in the way of it and I think it shocked her. She started crying and saying;

• "Mummy, you hurted me and broke me into lots and lots of tiny little pieces!"

I mean, come on! I spent the next five minutes hugging her and saying sorry!

Her latest favourite phrase tickles me though. Whenever something happens, whether it is something with Principessa or something with someone else, and you say, "That's so funny," this is how the conversation goes;

• Me or whoever: "That's so funny!"
• Principessa: "It is not funny."
• Me or whoever: "It is funny. It is really funny!"
• Principessa: "Well, I suppose it is a little big funny!"

I know. How cute?

Well, time to get back to writing about gladiatores. Yes, I know, but that's how it was originally spelled. So there! Only got another 600 or so words to write about them. Then I can finish writing about the Colosseum. Half way through that one, just letting the combat foxes in my brain work around the order and work out what elements I need to include.

Principessa's got a problem!

She can't say it! She keeps saying:

• "And the ploblem is..."

She's so funny!

Ah phooey!

Well, Principessa is not back at nursery. Nope, she now goes back after Easter. It would have been pointless sending her when the school first suggested she went back because she would have only had a week in before having a two week holiday. Not the way to settle her in, I know that from experience.

She is really choosing words to say now. Yesterday Kirst was here (we were supposed to study, but Principessa put an end to that) and Principessa had gone into the kitchen. The next thing we hear is this almighty crash, so I asked Kirst to investigate for me. Principessa had dropped some pan lids on the floor, so when she came back into the room after Kirsty had chased her back in I asked her what she had done. In her most irritated growly voice Principessa said:

"I dropped the bloody stuff!" (Now, bloody is pronounced blady - that is because Principessa much prefers the southern accent affectations of her Grandand!)

Later on, Principessa and Kirst were playing with one of Principessa's toys (this is why Kirst and I don't get anything done. Principessa doesn't leave us alone for a second!), when Principessa decided to roll to the floor by way of Kirst's legs.

• Kirst: Oooohhh, where am I going to stick you?
• Princ: But I am not a stamp!

Just brilliant! I love my little Principessa!

Lately I have discovered more TV programmes to become addicted to. Apart from the usual stuff (Torchwood, ER, various Aussie soaps), I am now addicted to Reaper, The Class and Big Bang Theory. Yep, they are all comedies, but I think that's what was sadly lacking from my TV menu after Friends ended. I needs me comedies!

On OU stuff, I have now done the music section (not too happy with it, but we'll see) and have almost finished the philosophy part. Once I am relatively happy with the philo stuff I will collate the four parts, get the cover sheets and biblios done, print it up and send it off. I have already started the reading for the block on the Colosseum. Some of the source material is really interesting. I'm so looking forward to mocing on from Block 1!

Possessed!

He's at it again! Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is just a fantastic player. He is battering Nadal at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I love watching Nadal play too, but over the last few years where it has been just Nadal and Federer at the top it did get a bit boring. But now we have Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Tsonga. That makes all the difference.

(Right now, Tsonga is 2 sets up and 5-2 in the third. I can't see him losing this. BRB, have to watch this now!)

Match Point! ... And gets it with an ace! Absolutely stunning! Take that, Rafa! Sorry, ever since seeing Tsonga play for the first time I've been waiting to see what he can do. Smacking Nadal down in the semi-final of the Aussie Open is just an amazing achievement. Wow!

Principessa has been bitten by the tennis bug, too. She dug out her little Wilson racket and one of the red tennis training balls and we spent about half an hour to fortyfive minutes playing thow and hit. To begin with I was counting to three so she knew when the ball was coming to her, then I stopped counting and let her practice keeping her eye on the ball. She did quite well.

She made me laugh yesterday. She was playing with her back to me on the floor in front of my chair. I noticed that she was trying to take the paper off a crayon, so I told her to stop. She turned around, jumped up on my knee and said;

"Silly Mummy!"

She grabbed my face in her hands, and she had a weird smell on her fingers. I said;

"Eugh! Your hands smell! What have you been eating?"

"Crayons," she said.

Hmmm, honesty!

Still not going anywhere with the story writing, but poetry is a different matter. I suddenly seem very inspired to write poems. I started writing one last night about abysses and demons, and it ended up having a feel of Doctor Who with the appearance of fragments of Gallifrey in there. Took me muchly by surprise as I wasn't thinking of that when I started writing. I am going to sit and work through it later and tidy it up a bit. I might even post it up here.

I need a cuppa fennel tea.

Little Miss D.I.Y.

"We going to B and Q?" Principessa asks.

"No, not today. We're going home now," I say.

"Nope, nope, nope, nope."

"Yep, yep, yep, yep."

"Nope, nope, nope!"

"What do you want to go to B and Q for anyway?"

"To get a screwdriver."

"What do you want a screwdriver for?"

"To fix things."

"What do you want to fix?"

"Walls."

"Why do you want to fix the walls?"

"I want to take the walls down."

"But if you take the walls down, the house will fall down."

"Oh. But I need a screwdriver."

A day in the life of....

Principessa.

She had a good one yesterday. I had been sorting out my room and her cot, so that the cot magically transformed into a bed. With this, she was very happy. It was the in-between of cot and bed that brought the giggles.

Grandand and Uncle Gareth were sorting out the cot. The sides were taken off and leaned up against wall and wardrobe until they could be moved somewhere else. Principessa decided that the cot sides would now be her ladders and ran around shouting "My la-dah, my la-dah!" She then commenced climbing up the cot side leaning against the wardrobe. She got to the top and climbed into the top shelf compartment, turned herself round, sat down and began shouting "Help me, I'n stuck!" (Yes, really. It is "I'n", not "I'm".) To give you the picture, she is bent over double with her head sticking out of the wardrobe over her feet. Uncle Gareth then films her on his phone and moves the camera closer to her until she can take it from him. The camera is pointing to her pyjama trousers and she says, "Ohhhh, Niamh trousers," and then giggles, as if it is something really amazing. Funny little girl. We then proceed to freeing her from her self-imposed wardrobe prison.

It gets to bedtime, then past it, then to 10pm. I go upstairs to attempt putting her to sleep. Firstly, I try putting up some star lights so that the room is not dark. If only it was that easy. No, the lights only encourage her to try to climb up shelves to try to catch them. So the lights are switched off. Next, we try tucking Principessa into bed. So she is lying in her bed, and I climb into my bed. I sing her favourite bedtime songs - the A, B, C's and Sweet Child O' Mine. Yay, it seems to be working. I turn over and try to go to sleep, only to have my bed invaded. So, she lies next to me.

I say, "Are you going to be a big girl like Lola one day and sleep in your own bed?"

She cuddles into me and says, "I'm not Lola." (Lola is a character from her favourite books at the mo, the 'Charlie and Lola' series.) She then goes to sleep.

So, that is Principessa for you. (Oh, another funny incident. She was being naughty in the bathroom a few days ago and I tell her to get out. She doesn't, naturally, and shouts back to me, "I need discipline!")

Well, I'm off now to put a story plan into action. I'm just hoping it will be an A-Team moment and I can finish by saying "I love it when a plan comes together."