I am wondering whether to continue blogging, considering that Mr C gets 10 comments per post, when he hardly ever blogs, and no-one even reads mine :(

Have nearly finished my report, which is cheering me up nicely. Am all set to breeze into the GP's surgery tomorrow morning, hand it in, hang about for a few appointments and an antenatal clinic, and then swan back off to London, triumphant. Surviving Crewe is a triumph indeed. Then all I have to do is shop and pack and then off we go. The phrase 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' just popped into my head..I hope that's not a premonition.

We have decided, that as Bangladesh is likely to be a stressful rush, and Egypt is going to be mostly work, we will make our stopover in Istanbul our anniversary holiday. I'm looking forward to going there most of all..I went last summer and it was beautiful.

Still feeling generally sleep-deprived and awful. But nothing cheers me up like a nice afternoon in the nursing home! I was reminded of Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator - you know the bit where the grandparents take too much of the Vitawonk or Wonkavite and end up as old as Methuselah..well that's what they all looked like.

Read an interesting article today, about how mothers should treat their newborn babies. You can read it here if you wish. Apparently there are two schools of thought: the flowers-in-your-hair hippy camp or the baby bootcamp camp. I remember a good friend of mine, who, before the birth of her baby was adamant that she was going to follow the advice of The Contented Little Baby Book, which sets out a schedule for the baby which has to be stuck to completely rigidly, e.g. wake up at 2.15pm, feed, change, back to sleep by 3.30pm etc etc. It sounded mad, not least because the woman who wrote it has never had kids of her own. Of course, my friend abandoned the plan as soon as the bundle came along - you can't really tell a baby what to do all the time.

In other news, I don't think you have all met my PDA yet! (Well actually, I think most of you have) You can see a photo here That's not my hand, by the way.

I'd better go and finish this blasted report, damn its eyes.

Assalamu alaikum all,

Am feeling horribly tired and exhausted, which I think may have something to do with the fact I need to write 1500 words on osteoporosis by the end of the evening. I downloaded Blogger for Word so that I don’t have to wait until I’m online to write something, and also to get in the habit while I’m in Bangladesh, so I can write while I’m on random planes and trains.

There are just five days left before we go! To be honest, I’m a bit apprehensive about going to Bangladesh, as I’ll have to deal with loads of new relatives (on Mr C’s side) and ones that I’ve forgotten or have vague memories of on my side. It’s always very difficult to know what to say to people, especially when, as Pink will verify, your Bengali accent is terrible. Now if you add to that the fact that everyone else will be speaking a different dialect, you can see why it might be a bit weird. I’ve been having some good intensive training in Sylheti over here, which may help. And there’s the little matter of the ‘functions’ – it almost makes me rue the day I married Mr C (kidding, kidding!). Will keep you posted on developments while we’re out there, and maybe even a picture or two courtesy of Cow’s internet connection.

Happy days! Aside from leaving my phone at home today, which is always a pain in the neck, I have had two pieces of good news today. Firstly, I am for the first time in probably over a year, financially in credit! My NHS Bursary has finally come through, which saves a lot of worry and bother. Well not a lot, as Mr C bails me out from time to time. Although the actual amount is pitiful, considering that it's supposed to be a student loan replacement. Secondly, I sold a PDA on Ebay. This may not sound very exciting, but it was all a bit of a gamble. I decided I needed a new PDA (I do need it, ok?) and went a bit mad on Ebay, eventually ending up with three winning auctions. One, I decided not to buy, and luckily was let off by the seller. The second I bought and sold today. The third, I'm keeping. But I would have been in very hot water if I hadn't managed to sell it, considering my then financial situation. However, all's well that ends well :)

I went on a 'home visit' just now - this is when an occupational therapist and/or social worker visit an elderly person's home to assess whether it's ok for them to go back after being in hospital. I said to Mr C last week, that when I'm old I wouldn't mind living on my own, but then I was envisaging a snug little house which is all sparkling and clean with a grandchild prattling on my knee. The man whose flat we went to see was living in fairly depressing sheltered accommodation, with stained carpets, an ageing kitchen and nothing to keep him company other than the television. He had two bin bags full of lager cans in his kitchen. He was in the Navy, had cooked for the royal family ("I cooked for the royal family, I should think I could cook for myself!"), and had been married with five sons, none of whom he feels he can trouble to do his weekly shopping. He could walk into Crewe town centre before he had a fall and broke his hip, and now didn't even have the strength to make a cup of tea for himself.

Yesterday I went to see a woman in the nursing home temporarily after she had been climbing on a chair to reach something at home and had fallen onto her wrists, fracturing them both. She also lived on her own, and couldn't see how she was going to manage alone, as she couldn't even dress herself or lift a fork in her present condition. It's difficult to know how to reassure people in this position, their children are content to get on with their own lives and give a hand from time to time, but essentially they're left to manage the best they can.

Mr C has a blog! Go to http://ramblesofmrc.blogspot.com

Enjoy :)

I have decided to do away with the Title field, as it becomes rather tedious trying to think of something new each time. I think that's what puts me off blogging maybe - you don't know how many times I've logged in and changed my mind after seeing that blank box next to Title.

Anyway, have skived off a very dull tutorial to have a blissfully housewifely day in London. The upshot of all this, is that for the first time in weeks, if not months, I am able to work at my desk, having cleared it of the papers, books, jewellery, makeup and other paraphernalia that cover it. There's still some left, and as any Azmi will tell you, it is a favourite trick of mine to pile everything together into the smallest possible area so that everything else looks tidy in comparison. And boy does it!

I also found some time to go to the local library and 'fess up to losing a book. Actually, it was Mr C that lost it, and as my efforts to make him take the rap had been steadfastly resisted for the last month, I thought it was about time we paid the fine, before it turned into ten Harry Potters' worth (that was the book that got lost). You'll be relieved to hear that it didn't come anywhere near eclipsing my Personal Best, which is £42 for two books at Stopford library.

Am definitely looking forward to going away, but want to see as many of you as possible before I go. The problem is time, and trains. There are no trains from Crewe to Manchester after the 11th, which may cause some difficulty, but we'll see what can be worked out. For those of you who are interested, here is the proposed itinerary (so you know where to find us should you wish to visit us Back Home):


Date


17th December 2005
Depart LGW 10.10 QR76

18th December 2005
Arrive DAC 07.30 QR344
Stay with Mr C's uncle. Time of arrival to be confirmed.
19th December 2005
Dhaka
Stay/visit with my paternal grandparents(tbc)
20th December 2005
Dhaka
Stay/visit with my maternal grandparents (tbc)
21st December 2005
Dhaka
22nd December 2005
Fly to Syhlet –Moulvi Bazar
Father-in-law to pick up
23rd December 2005
Moulvi Bazar
24th December 2005
Hingagia
25th December 2005
Hingagia
26th December 2005
Moulvi Bazar
27th December 2005
Moulvi Bazar Function
28th December 2005
Fly/Train to Dhaka
29th December 2005
Dhaka
30th December 2005
Dhaka Function
31st December 2005
Dhaka
1st January 2006
Depart 08.40 QR345
Arrive LHR 17.30

then a quiet day at home, before flying to Turkey for three days' stay and then to Egypt. I'm just a bit concerned that the inevitable food poisoning will come after I've left Bangladesh and arrived in Turkey. Mr C has told me that he'll leave me to rest in the hotel and go sightseeing in the event of this occurring.