abc surveyage in crawling into 2014.

As if my week could get any worse, this morning before my run I had to unblock the toilet using a rubber glove, some cling film (seran wrap you're stuff) and a spoon. The cling film was purely to cover the part of my arm the the glove wouldn't reach because I was almost up to my shoulder in shit water. The spoon was because I couldn't reach far enough around the bend to the blockage.

So, here is the latest survey.

A - Age: 43

B - Bed size: double. We love to snuggle close :-)

C - Chore you hate. Unclogging the toilet.

D - Dog's name: I had a dog for the first three weeks of life - it came with the house we rented in Kenya and was called Mickey. The next occupiers took over the care of him. We had cats growing up.

E - Essential start your day item: I would have to say, four mornings a week, my running clothes, in a pile, in the order I'm going to put them on.

F - Favorite colour: personally I prefer colour combinations. I love the rainbow, and citrus colors together. I love to make a statement with bold colors - yesterday I wore a bright pink t shirt with a white skirt that had bright purple flowers on. Or I may wear dark blue with a flash of orange. When the kids insist on an answer I will say orange. It is such a happy colour :-)

G - Gold or Silver: Both. Together.

H - Height: 5'6"

I - Instruments you play(ed): classical guitar, but I haven't advanced in standard since I was sixteen. I would love to learn flamenco but I think that's a when-I'm-older-with-less-responsibilities thing, like my dad who has been learning lute since he turned 70.

J - Job title: firstly I'm a mum, but that's way more than a job, it's a true delight. Secondly I'm a childminder. Then I'm a breastfeeding peer supporter followed swiftly by vice chair of the local toy library and lastly, student.

K - Kid(s): I have 2 lovely (strong willed, obstinate), loving and caring daughters.

L - Living arrangements: just me, my lovely feller and our two cuddly girls.

M - Mum's name: Ann. And I get a pang whenever I see that name with that spelling.

N - Nicknames: I've never really had one. Robbo's sister at school (just an extension of my brother's nickname!) And Bob for a short time after a specific episode of Blackadder in the 80's.

O - Overnight hospital stay: one night after having Talaia. I stayed awake staring at and holding my amazing baby. With Lila I stayed for three nights because I had considerable blood loss because of my vast thingy. What's it called? Huge lump on my uterus...

P - Pet Peeve: I'm pretty easy going about most things, and quick to recognise that my pet peeves are my problem and not the problem of the person I may feel it about. However I have one thing that will make me lose all respect for someone. Seeing them smoking while with their children, especially pushing a buggy with ciggy in hand.

I don't have an issue with a person choosing to smoke but you do it away from the kids. M'kay?

Q - Quote from a movie: "Mom, you're flapping your lips in vain. Keith's vacated." I mutter this to myself often when the kids are ignoring me!

It's from one of my fave 80's movies - Some Kind Of Wonderful.

R - Right or left handed: ambidextrous, though stronger with my right on most things. Both our daughter's are left handed and are the only known left handers in the family.

S - Siblings: I have 3, my older sister, younger sister and older brother.

T - Time you wake up on running days it's between 5am and 5:30am, on non running, work days and Saturdays it's 6:45am and on Sundays it's when I can be arsed.

U- Underwear: there is subtle order to my underwear drawer - it has a variety of size of underwear. I usually use the normal M&S style, sensible but not too mummsy. When I run out of those I move on to the big tummy control pants and when they run out it's thongs. And that's the way I roll.

I remember when thongs were my first choice...

V - Vegetable you dislike: parsnips and carrots. Their flavours are too overpowering.

W - Ways you run late: I used to always be late but rich trained that out of me. Now it's usually because of families arriving late for drop offs and pick ups but I'm okay with that because they'd never be late without reason.

X - X-rays you've had: hands when I was in lots of pain (I still get it, but not so often now), chest after a car accident. That's all I can think of.

Y - Yummy food you make: I make amazing food, although I think anyone can if they can read. Just follow a recipe Dagnabbit!

My kids disagree on the yumminess of my food...

Z - Zoo animal: we have a wildlife park nearby and, although it isn't as good as the wild, it is animal centered and not visitor so if you arrive and don't see the lions in their enclosure it's because the lions don't want to be seen, so get over it. My favorite? I love going to the bat house, it has this gorgeously velvet sense of calm.