LAWN MOWERS

I never dreamt I would be excited to own a lawn mower.

My parents came up for the weekend: I can't remember now how the conversation came up but my mother was asking what sort of lawn mower I was thinking of getting.  I've used cheap Flymos with cheap blades which break at the slightest provocation; the lawn mower we currently have is several years old, has no collecting box and the blades are blunt as blunt; all frustrating and ineffective on lawn which had in parts succeeded in getting to about 30cm tall.

When I came home one day to a big box containing a Bosch lawn mower with a box for collecting up the cuttings and a huge metal rotary blade, I was dead chuffed.  Not only did it look impressive in the box, but my father assembled it (with help from Daughter, aged 4) and then cut the two lawns for me: so the lawns now look more impressive as well.

Just don't look too closely as there is a lot of moss on the front one and there are lots of dandelions on the side one.....

Meanwhile while we were up in Scotland the algae in the pond, which I thought I'd got under control, went mad again and we came back to a murky green pond.  So today I dosed it up with a hefty quantity of anti-algae stuff.  I saw a fish vaguely through the murk so I hope the algae killer doesn't kill it off, nor affect the plants which are beginning to get established (the water lily now has 4 leaves: it arrived with one).   The next few days will tell.  Good Friends asked whether we were going to fill the pond in with the advent of no.3 child: I think I'm more likely to fill it in just because it's a pain to look after!

Talking of child no.3, Husband and I went to the hospital yesterday for my first scan.  Turns out I was wrong: it's not twins; it is indeed a baby; it has the correct number of limbs; and it was moving and had a meeting heart.  It measured as 10 weeks 6 days and my official due date is now 4th January 2011. 

I'm quite amazed that everything so far is fine and despite the photographic evidence and the fact that my clothes are now getting too tight, I've put on weight, and I still feel sick, it still doesn't feel 100% real.  Perhaps it never does until the birth anyway: but it doesn't help hearing that there are loads of risks 'at my age' and that the chances of conceiving in the first place are about zero (which, by the way, the consultant Ostetrician at the hospital more-or-less rebuffed: she had seen a woman of 54).

There are still various tests to go: and of course another 29 weeks of pregnancy: but I have to say I walked out of the hospital feeling more positive (and less sick.... ) than I had for ages.  I must keep away from the internet - other than for job-hunting!