Hope everything is ok xx

TY for spotting a Kiwi x

4. We had a wee laugh yesterday - or at least Colin did. All the eggs in the garden - pigeon, blackbirds, even mallard eggs in the field next door, are getting broken & eaten by something. We have never seen a fox, a mink or a pine marten and there have been a few occasions when we have forgotten to lock the hens in at night & they have been fine but there is obviously some sort of predator around. Colin put his humane trap out under the hedge a couple of weeks ago with some old pheasant wings he was using for dog training purposes. Yesterday evening he found poor Lex in the trap! He was in for food at 0900 so he couldn't have been there for too long & hopefully he will have learned his lesson & won't go back there again :-D

3. How are you enjoying the new gold rainforest critters? I am enjoying them better than the fox & hare because there are fewer to hunt. I got so frustrated having to work my way through so many different level 1-10 wildlife until I found the correct one so only having 7 from the rainforest is a pleasure! I think I need a Kinky now for my Gibbon vase. My Cattus is a pest. I need 2 Chickadee to finish my intermediate quest so I need to get it RFH but it takes up the space in the garden that I could have a herb, or it takes up room in the GH for a jewel. I think I will have to put it out Tuesday when I don't really have the time for FL anyway & maybe get the chickadees on Wednesday. I was just in a garden who has already done the easy quest 36 times & we're only halfway through the month! It doesn't leave much hope for anyone who only does it once! xx

2. It's good that Charlie knows exactly what he wants to do & also that there are a few universities doing the course he fancies so he will have a choice. Have you any preference as to where he goes? With regards to travelling time, transport etc? We are seeing the baby regularly. We were there on Friday morning & we will either take Colin's Mum to visit on Tuesday afternoon or we will take Lynne & the baby through to visit her, depending how Lynne feels. She had a friend who was one of her bridesmaids & who is also a primary school teacher visiting with her 2 young children on Thursday & she was shattered when they left. No discipline, Nicola had taken a bag with toys for them to play with which wasn't even opened & the kids were allowed to do whatever they liked. The little boy broke the baby gate (which was bought when they got the puppy) & he kept trying to put a cushion over the baby's face.  Granny hasn't seen Thomas since the day he was born because she has been full of the cold for the last 2 weeks but hopefully that will have cleared by Tuesday x

Hi Linda, yes thanks, Ellie is always a pleasure to have. She's never any bother. I understand exactly what you mean when you say it's sometimes easier to have the girls separately.  Beth is quite loud & noisy (Lex won't come into the house when she is here) & she needs a lot of time/attention as she likes to be playing with you constantly, whether it's things like card games or hide & seek. Don't get me wrong, I love having her & playing games with her but I'm exhausted when she goes home. Yvonne says the same about the boys - Aidan is the quieter one, happy to amuse himself for a little while & Connor is loud & boisterous so they now have the boys singly for a sleepover, turn about, as they felt Aidan was missing out while Connor took up all their time & attention. It must be a common thing with siblings! Laughing at Amber trying to be the big sister & Zoe having none of it :-D

I was so happy to spot it-been hunting for days!! Thank you xx

3. The Llama plant is a pain. I don't want Llamas, I want Moles & Golden Dragons and I have to keep putting the Cattus in the GH until I get what I need. A herb deters the Llama but attracts the bunny so I can't win. Lol :-) Hope you have managed to find a Crane chick now. I am at Sleeping Beauty at 1400 for a facial & a hot stone back and neck massage, first visit since I broke my ankle last year so I am really looking forward to it. I'm hoping I'll be out in time to visit a new family run pet shop which supplies raw cat food. I think Lex would thrive on that. I did order a trial pack for him from a company called Bella & Duke but it was partly thawed (it was raw frozen food) when it arrived so although I did stick it in the big freezer I cooked it quickly on the hob each day just in case there were any bacteria after partly thawing then refreezing, but he just loved it & his coat was so soft & silky. Have a nice Sunday xx

2. A holiday club with different activities sounds a great idea. Is there not one for Ambers' age group as well? Zoe must be like Aidan, he has a huge appetite & last time we were all out for a meal he wanted a steak. His Mum & Dad said no, it was too expensive & Grandad (Evan) was paying. Anyway, he ordered the steak for Aidan & he cleared his plate. Like you I like to see children with a good appetite instead of those that pick at their food & then want ice cream or sweets. We are having the girls on Wednesday. Ellie will stay over. Beth won't. She is going through a phase of not wanting sleepovers, even when her Mum & Dad are there. They went away for a few days in their old VW caravanette in the  October holidays & it was a drama at bedtime every night as Beth wanted home to her own house! Ellie is like a mini adult. Beth is a tomboy & a drama queen :-D Baby Thomas has had Alexander (after Colins' Dad) added as a middle name which is nice. Colins' Mum is delighted. We will take her to visit on Tuesday afternoon as I suspect as soon as Lynne can drive again she won't be at home much though the day & Ben will be back to full time hours at work this coming week. It's a shame you'r

Hi Linda, I like the school holidays too - we get to see more of the girls & also I get parked much more easily at the Leisure Centre when I go to Pilates. It's right next to the Academy & the car park there isn't big enough so the teachers park in the Leisure Centre car park. I suppose it's all Highland Council but it's frustrating when you are going to a class & can't get parked because teachers and/or pupils are parked there when they're not even in that building. I find the roads are quieter in the mornings as well. When I go to the hydrotherapy pool for 0830 there's much less traffic during the school holidays than during term time. How did you all enjoy Blood Brothers at the theatre? Has Charlie any idea what he would like to study at Uni? And will that mean he will be away from home or is there one near you where he could commute? It's so expensive now for student halls of residence. Erin, one of Colins' nieces is £1000 a month. She has already done whatever she needs for Sound Engineering & is currently doing Graphic Design in Glasgow but because the halls are so expensive she is talking about giving it up & trying to get a job as a Sound Engineer (her first love) instead.