Happy Birthday eldest belle

The eldest belle is 17 today - I am NOT old enough to have a child that age.

Happy Birthday Eldest Belle

My eldest daughter is 16 today. To celebrate we sent her sisters to school and then I went with her to her first interview for a sixth form college place for September. The lovely head of the form said at the end of the interview that he intended to offer her a place so she skipped off back to school a very happy bunny. This college is more distance to travel but would offer her far more opportunities than many places. She has another interview later this month at a nearer college that she also really likes but at least with one under her belt provided she gets the grades she's predicted then she'll have a place in the Autumn.
It's still freezing cold here and a lot of the roads are icy. Tonight we're taking the belles and a few of eldest's friends out for a meal and then bowling. This means I have to drive as we won't all fit in Mr Nell's car. I hate driving at night even without the ice - good job we aren't going very far.
For her birthday - and I know Kate Hardy will approve - we bought her a Pandora bracelet and three charms to start her off, one with her birthstone, one with a sixteen charm, and a breast cancer one as she collects all the pins and it's a cause close to us as her godmother's mum died from breast cancer.
This week is looking hectic as I'm at the day job for four days and I have a family funeral to attend on Wednesday afternoon too. We've also got something on Saturday so by Sunday I suspect I'll be pretty exhausted.
I've roughly six and a half chapters to go now for the first draft of Just Look at Me Now but at least I can see a way to the ending now where a few chapters back I was in the depths of despair, convinced I'd written my way into a corner.

Birthdays

Today is the eldest belle's birthday - she'll be 15. As part of her birthday treat we're going to see John Barrowman in Panto tonight at the Hippodrome. This year it's Robin Hood. She has a Thorntons birthday cake and is very delighted with all her presents. Clothes from her favourite shops and a new austrian crystal dog for her collection.
I can't quite believe I have a daughter this age - already she's talking about when she leaves school next year and driving lessons are only two years away. I am so not ready for this.

Happy Birthday to..

Mr Nell, who shares his birthday with Jane Austen.
He might be feeling his age after this conversation with Miss La, our youngest belle.

La, tweaking Mr Nell's eyebrows - 'Grey suits you Daddy.'
Cue the rest of us to start snickering at the expression on his face. Followed by La adding -'of course if it bothers you I could get you some of that hair colour for men that would make it go brown again.'

In other news I've been aditing my project book and it now has a name as I hated the working title. It now called A Scattering of Leaves. A reminder that if you want to buy any of my Moonlit or ByGrace books you only have a short time left so Fictionwise, Lulu or All Romance e books are your places to go.
Amazon have a great preorder price on Animal Instincts if you're in the UK. Play.com also have a good preorder deal where you get free delivery.

Foggy

It's grey and drizzly here today. I didn't hear or see many fireworks last night, I suspect the credit crunch has taken it's toll. I was always amazed when I worked at Asda selling fireworks what people were prepared to spend. The huge expensive £50 and £25 a throw jobs would go like hot cakes. I always felt so mean taking home my £14.99 selection box and extra pack of rockets.
Last night was also my local writers group meeting - as always it was great fun and I now know about Japanese Haiku poetry even if my dyscalculia means I get a severe headache if I try to write it.
The dance show is drawing nearer along with the rehearsal schedule and Miss Boo's bithday. Her actual birthday is the day of the dress rehearsal so I think I'll try and sort something out for a few days later for her birthday. She'd like a cinema trip followed by Pizza, I'm hoping the cinema's don't do their usual trick and pull all the child friendly films around her birthday ready for the Christmas ones to kick off a week later. Better go do my research - High School Musical 3 anyone?

Yesterday

Was my eldest daughter's fourteenth birthday. In a moment of madness I appear to have been persuaded to chaperone a party of teenage girls to the pictures on Sunday to celebrate this event. I understand we're seeing Alvin and the Chipmunks followed by Pizza at Pizza hut. My role in this outing is to bring money.
In fact, bringing money seems to be the main role of parents as children get older, that, and providing transport.