Snow Days

Over the summer and autumn months it has been quite common to find Princess Morag quite despondent about her daily life.  Being a MOP (Mother of Preschooler) is always challenging, but she finds her mental and emotional resources drained rather than stimulated.  The thought of being stuck in the house for days on end with  two demanding small people would normally strike fear into the heart of Princess Morag but after facing up to this predicament following large quantities of snowfall she has found that if she leans on her God, he is more than sufficient to rescue her!  

Princess Morag has found since being a full time mother that she is constantly being stretched to be more patient, to exercise more self-control and basically to bear all the fruits of the Holy Spirit all of the time.  This is obviously a bit tricky, made even more so by having zero time to do anything that might involve peace and quiet and preferably privacy.  OK, so maybe not zero time, but very little time and if something has to give it is normally her sleep because like the inspiration for this blog, the only time Princess Morag's brain cells start to fire in patterns that might produce something intelligible for grown up people is when she is lying in bed trying to fall asleep.  The rest of the day her brain is singing children's television theme tunes or trying to prevent the next tantrum from occurring.  

So the snow forced Princess Morag to stay at home and she has been quite relieved that she no longer has to expend considerable energy in trying to get two toddlers ready to go out.  Normally two pairs of socks must be procured from the drawer (and the day of the week must be ascertained for Master Ryan's socks to be the right ones - it is not good when the sock of the correct day is in the laundry!), the children and the socks usually run away at this point so they must be chased down and encouraged to sit down until the socks are on the feet.  Repeat process with two pairs of shoes, and trying to clean two sets of teeth and then to put on two jackets and now that it is winter, gloves and hats as well!!!!!  So, Princess Morag was not sorry to lay to rest that little routine for a week or so!  

Life has been a more relaxed affair for the little family as they fill the short daylight hours with gentle activity until Sir Rianus returns from his labours in the workplace.  Time has passed quickly and although it may not appear that anything exciting has happened in these snow filled days, Princess Morag has felt her spirits lift when noticing the small mercies that God has sent her way - prayer answered and patience given.   

love, discipline and confrontation

Parenthood is a challenge; currently it is a hard physical and emotional slog for Princess Morag but it is not too complicated:  feed them, clean them, make sure they sleep, and love them in every way possible.  Today, Princess Morag has reflected on how discipline is an important part of loving your children, as you want them to know right from wrong, and in the end be a good person able to relate to other people.  It is a personal challenge to know how to incorporate this into a parent and child relationship but neglecting to do so can only spell disaster.  Neither Princess Morag or Sir Rianus are confrontational, they dislike situations where there is conflict.  And generally the wee man and his maiden sister are similarly peace-loving, To be faced with children and parents who are not of the same ilk has happened a few times already and the Renfroana household may have to learn how to handle such situations.

Princess Morag went to the local indoor play area today with her two toddling children.  It is a great space for them to run and climb and generally use up some of the extraordinary amount of energy they have despite such early rises every morning!  It is theoretically a safe place as it is all made of padded material making falling down a painless experience.  But Princess Morag has been plagued by thoughts of a troubling interaction with a boisterous pre-schooler and his mother.  On first impressions, the boy simply seemed high spirited but then there was cry from the son of the Princess and circumstances implicated the boy.  While comforting her son, Princess Morag was surprised to be pushed by the boy and despite her brief remonstration, he later pushed and tried to kick her. Not keen to enter into a major confrontation with his mother, Princess Morag did try to indicate his inappropriate actions to her, but she was not terribly interested and did not make effort to make amends in any way.  Princess Morag was quite taken aback that a child should be so disrespectful of an adult, but presumably he had never been educated in the general principles of acceptable social behaviour.

Princess Morag predicts a poor outcome for this boy who was so obviously seeking adult attention in any way he could get it, and despite all attempts only provoked a weak response from his mother.  Does she think that it is someone else's job to discipline him?  Is it the job of teachers or social workers or the police or the courts; sadly all of the above will probably try to make amends for her neglect but it will probably be too late.  He needs her to love him enough to tell him no, and mean it.  Should Princess Morag have told her so?  Is anyone else going to?  Princess Morag prays that someone will.  Princess Morag learned in her working world about being assertive - this means approaching confrontations with calmness, kindness and respect - always easier said than done, but she'll work on it some more.

Musings at the end of a year

When asked "How are you?" in 2009, Princess Morag invariably replied "tired". She hopes that 2010 might not be characterised by fatigue in quite the same way! In a blur of full time mothering the months have passed without many moments to stop and reflect. The little maiden surprises those around her with her walking and talking as those skills seem so advanced compared to her small stature! Meanwhile the wee man has kept himself very busy with increasingly difficult jigsaw puzzles and Princess Morag wonders at being outsmarted by her 2 year old regularly!

The siblings communicate in a language of their own with shouts of "dadadada" and peals of laughter; they are also fond of running up and down the hallway and throwing things about. Princess Morag is relegated to the role of picker-upper until cuddles are required (thankfully this is often).

Princess Morag longs for a slightly more spacious dwelling than the current castle apartment. And an attached private outdoor space in which the small people could run around wouldn't go amiss either. A machine to wash crockery would be wonderful along with one to blow hot air until garments are dry, but whether these material ambitions are met or not, Princess Morag is hoping for more than a breath of time to herself in 2010. Small steps were taken in the last year to try to reclaim some individual identity including joining a local choir. Singing, she has found, has the capacity to preserve sanity and although a virus prevented her from singing in the Christmas concert, she enjoyed every moment of rehearsal and the exercise it required both physical and mental. Anyway, there could be no more worthwhile occupation than singing praises about the incarnation even without an audience.

Princess Morag has learned a lot about her limits in 2009, and prays that whatever testing circumstances come her way in 2010 may God give her all the grace she needs to get through.

Emerging from winter

Princess Morag had guessed that the first six months of having 'two under two' would be the most challenging. Having survived them she hopes that she was right and that the path is a little easier from now on. The little maiden intially struggled to gain weight, but mummy's milk won in the end and has bestowed her with endearing chubbiness although she remains petite.

Master Ryan is a big fan of his wee sister and happily the feeling seems to be mutual. He has a smile for her even when he is feeling at his most poorly and nothing else will cheer him. Princess Morag is delighted that they are a blessing to one another and prays that their close bond will endure forever.

Winter should be a season for hibernation as far as Princess Morag is concerned, unfortunately her children didn't seem to realise this, but as the days grow longer the desire for sleep is not quite so strong. It would still be very welcome, but seeing the sun is some recompense.

Soon, the sun will be shining down on the family in California when the Princess, Sir Rianus, Master Ryan and the little maiden make a long journey to visit The Grandparents. Much time is currently being spent in positive anticipation of this vacation. Most of it revolves around pleasant weather, eating lots of food, seeing friends and family and shopping. When possible the Princess is practising how to relax in preparation for perhaps having a little time off courtesy of The Grandparents.

Reflections at New Year

Princess Morag bids you a Happy New Year and welcomes the fact that she is entering 2009 without a new life in her belly but a husband and two beautiful children in her home is quite enough.

Christmas has become more special since Princess Morag became a mother. It really is amazing that Jesus was born into a human family and was tiny and helpless, completely relying on mere mortals for his survival. And for Mary, what difficult circumstances (giving birth in a barn for goodness sake!) but what a privelege to be the mother of God!

So 2008 was a family focussed year, characterised by being woken virtually every night to see to baby or go to bathroom - the Princess hopes for better sleep in 2009 but doubts it will happen. Kayley Elizabeth entered the world on September 5th and is good at both crying and smiling, just like her mother. Princess Morag is very proud of herself as she persevered through much pain, tiredness and moments of despair to continue breastfeeding her new babe (who was much more inclined to do so than her brother) and the magic milk is working as the little maiden has started to get chubbier every day.

Becoming a mother of two has been a challenge although a more welcome one than being a working (and pregnant) mother of one. It is a constant juggling act that involves continual putting aside of her own needs and wants; but is proving to Princess Morag that parenting is a very refining process and that God is good and fills her day with small mercies that keep her sane.

Princess Morag is trying to think of a resolution to start the new year with but her brain does not seem able to conjure one up. So she resolves to regain the ability to think and will celebrate the fact that it is currently nap time by hopefully eating cake.

Attempting to be calm and confident

From what she has read, Princess Morag believes that the two most common emotions of mothers are apparently guilt and anxiety. Having had to give up on breastfeeding, Princess Morag tried very hard not to feel guilty as she had done her best, but knowing that breastmilk is better for baby did cause her concern. Being new to the role also calls into question her mothering ability; after all, a wee bit of babysitting experience does not totally prepare you for the awesome responsibility of caring for a baby and preparing him for facing the world on his own one day. So should guilt and anxiety just be accepted as the usual territory of new mothers and tolerated? Princess Morag thinks not. You see, she believes in a God who does not want us to feel guilty and anxious, who wants to set us free to live happy, glorious lives*.
*(Romans 6:22)

Of course, it is easier said than done to become this calm, confident mother especially when it seems that her little charge sets major challenges to this state of mind. For example: When feeding, Master Ryan will cough and splutter and then go ominously quiet for a moment causing both mother and father to worry that he is not OK. When Sir Rianus is in charge of the bottle and Princess Morag is in the other room, she experiences even greater anxiety as she cannot see the face of her babe and only hears the panic in her husband's voice. However, both parents are now getting used to this tendency of their son's and are not as stressed by it anymore. Breathing related anxiety also occurs when Master Ryan is sleeping, as generally he is quite snuffly but when in a deep sleep, his breathing is not audible at all, and he looks so at peace that an angel might have taken him, or, as Princess Morag sometimes thinks, he might have been replaced by an angel!
Crying: Now this (thankfully) has not so far been too much of an issue for the new family, but when Master Ryan does decide to turn into the "crying monster", and suddenly bears absolutely no resemblance to the beatific son described above, and all his physical needs have been met....it is difficult to be patient and feel loving. This is an example of when loving becomes an action rather than an emotion and Princess Morag has to look out with herself for the strength to keep going in this situation, sometimes looking to Master Ryan's father for support or to their Heavenly Father!
Nappy Changing: Princess Morag has had to learn to be vigilant when changing nappies. As you may know, little boys sometimes take the opportunity of 'watering' the area when they are in a semi-naked state. Couple this with the tendency to spit-up the milk just consumed and factor in a messy malodorous excretion and you have a minefield scenario!!!!! Princess Morag has learned that one must simply see the humour in the situation and has put serious thought into the hierarchy of priorities when dealing with simultaneous bodily fluids in order to reduce the incidence of 'accidents' and therefore the amount of laundry required to be washed!

Having run courses on confidence building in the last two years in her workplace, you would think Princess Morag would be super confident. You would think..., but she has had to learn along the way how to apply the principles to her own life, and as she tells her patients, it doesn't happen over night. She knows that she must guard her thoughts and not let negativity take over. Unfortunately normal perspective on things disappears when you are sleep deprived. So sometimes she has been overwhelmed and felt inadequate, and guilty. But then she has been able to see things as they are in the bigger picture and hey - nobody is a perfect parent - and studies show that she just has to be the 'good enough' mother! Master Ryan seems to be healthy and content and by the look of his ever expanding chubby cheeks putting on weight nicely, so what is there to worry about?

Since the journey of motherhood began, Princess Morag has been living in the moment; she is forced to concentrate on the present needs of her child and making any sort of plans for the current day or week is challenging which doesn't leave much room for contemplating the longer term future. This is a new way of living for Princess Morag as she used to have the tendency to dwell on the future, perhaps too much. Given that she finds it so difficult to coordinate household and baby tasks, she is certainly not 'super-organised mum' and does compare herself unfavourably to others in this respect.

It seems Princess Morag is questioning once more her ability to remain confident in the face of the weaknesses she perceives in herself and there is always worry about the welfare of her child at the back of her mind, that whisper that says: "what if the worst happens??"
So what must she do? She must take heart, and be strong in her mind and spirit and heed the words of the psalmist:-
You will keep in perfect peace
all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Trust in the Lord always,
for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.
(Psalm 26:3-4)

A modern, moulting mother

Since last you heard from Princess Morag she has joined the ranks of motherhood; from the time discovered she was with child, and even more so after the birth, she has held all mothers everywhere and especially her own, in much greater esteem. And despite a slight grief over the loss of the possibility of natural childbirth she mostly felt serious relief that she escaped the pain of labour and, in the words of Sir Keith, "squeezing a person out of her person"!

Three weeks on, Princess Morag is delighting in her son: Master Ryan James Valentine, who has taken the name of his father for his first name and the names of his great, great, great grandfather for his middle names. She is finding that the bond between mother and child is growing stronger as he begins to reveal a greater likeness to herself in his face as the days progress. At first, perhaps as a result of the method of delivery, it was strange to share all her space and time with this small infant; was he really the same creature who had inhabited her womb for 38 weeks? He was handed to her from behind the screen shielding her from the mysterious surgery that took place in her conscious but numb body and she reassured herself that he must be the same baby whose first cry instantly brought tears to her eyes, and looked so beautiful when he was brought to her to lie (heavily) on her chest very soon after.

Even before she conceived, Princess Morag was a strong proponent of breastfeeding and scoffed at the idea of bottlefeeding: what a hassle having to sterilise bottles, and what an unnecessary expense! She now finds herself trying to remember what time the last feed was, in order to know when the next lot of bottles must be ready for....but at least Master Ryan likes milk at room temperature - no having to queue for the bottlewarmer when she is out and about! (Bottlewarmer???? - who knew such things existed until the new world of motherhood begins to open up to you in ante-natal classes!) So what went wrong? Several things. Most of which were completely out of Princess Morag's realm of control. So she grieves over another loss of being able to do things naturally, especially as she had been holding dearly to the idea of breastfeeding throughout her pregnancy in order to make up for all the medical intervention that had been required from the very beginning. Although Princess Morag knows that her grief is a real and valid response to all that she has gone through in the last nine months, she has now been able to reflect on this transition to motherhood and wonders if she must simply accept, and once again be thankful for the 'miracles of modern medicine'.

This is where Princess Morag thinks of the differences between her and her husband. Sir Rianus is an historian of medieval times, and would probably have lived happily as a gallant knight in the middle ages. Princess Morag struggles to put aside the whole issue of no decent living conditions (she likes her castles with central heating!) and despite at heart being a dreamer, the fact of the matter is, if she had been born in that time, she and her mother would have died in childbirth and there would have been no Princess Morag to marry Sir Rianus, and definitely no little Master Ryan twenty-seven years later!

Princess Morag has a whole series of reasons to be grateful to doctors and nurses and all the other healthcare workers she has come across in her life, probably part of the reason she chose the career she did. After all, they saved her life and kept her alive when she arrived ten weeks prematurely and weighed so little. Her local family doctor eventually worked out what was wrong with her when she would collapse and stop breathing as a toddler! The surgeon operated twice on her heart and the second time mended it as completely as possible. The little pills prescribed to her for the last twenty years ensure that her life is not endangered by blood clots building up on the artificial heart valve that works so much better than the one God gave her! The radiographers can check her heart function using ultrasound, the same technique that checked that her baby was OK in the womb. The nurse showed her how to inject the alternative medicine that would continue to keep Princess Morag from getting blood clots but wouldn't cause harmful effects on her developing child. The fact that there are alternatives to the natural ways of life, has saved Princess Morag at every step of the way, so she thanks God that it has been so. Even if he is the "ancient of days", He has been in control of all the modern intervention in her life so she shall continue to thank Him for the intervention in the life of her child, including the invention of milk formula despite 'breast being best'.

Adjusting to motherhood is taking a bit of time, but there are many reasons to celebrate, of course the foremost is the new member of our new family! But leaving behind pregnancy brings renewed pleasure in little things that had to be sacrificed for a time e.g. pate, brie and wine! Reclaiming her body for herself, although it is changed forever, also pleases Princess Morag. When Master Ryan gets the hiccups now she finds it much easier to sleep through the little noise compared to the pulsing sensation she used to feel in her belly. But one of the downsides to being on the other side of pregnancy is that all the hair that chose not to fall out during pregnancy now decides it is time and when you have long hair like the Princess this causes significant hair coverage of the whole of the castle apartment; it is definitely time for Sir Rianus to get vacuuming!

Goodbye Pilgrims Hill, Hello Polmont Woods

Princess Morag and Sir Rianus continued to live happily in Pilgrims Hill for the duration of 2006 and into 2007. They worked and played and ate hundreds of candlelit dinners together. They celebrated their 1st and 2nd wedding anniversaries and also digested the happy but quite overwhelming news that Princess Morag was gestating their first child. They had thoughts about purchasing a new home but these were short-lived in this land of increasing house prices and interest rates. They had thoughts about finding somewhere bigger than their one-bedroomed castle in order to accommodate their impending progeny and were then forced into action by the 'Notice to Quit' they received with regard to their tenancy. Thus the Princess and Sir Rianus were forced into packing all their possessions and accumulated junk into many boxes and with the help of wonderful friends and relations and a big rental van, relocated to a two-bedroomed castle apartment in the nearby settlement of Polmont.

The parting from Pilgrims Hill and the Royal Burgh was not too painful, the castle of pebbledash was not a beautiful home, but it had been loved as it was the first home that Princess Morag and Sir Rianus had shared. They moved to a more attractive castle apartment with features that brought joy to the couple: a white (not avocado green) bathroom suite, fitted mirrored wardrobes, a still small, but fitted kitchen and celebrated most of all by Sir Rianus: mixer taps! Thus the reign of the Princess of Pilgrims Hill comes to an end. But the reign of the Princess of Polmont Woods begins! The vista from the new castle apartment is thankfully of the local wild territory shielding the eyes of onlookers from the unsightly industry of Grangemouth petrochemical works. Long live Polmont Woods.

Watch out - it's Winter!

There are always plenty of bugs breeding at this time of year and other more unexpected dangers: I am very grateful for my current reasonable state of health as I begin this new year of 2006. Unfortunately, my husband, Sir Rianus is not faring so well. Alas, as I write he lies in bed, feverish and feeling under the weather (which is currently cold and foggy)! I suspect he may have the nasty virus that afflicted me in November leading to much coughing, blowing of my soon very red and raw nose, and absence from my workplace. I visited the kind doctor of this royal burgh who issued me with a prescription for some useful drugs that combat infection, but being a stubborn and silly GUCH* princess, did not take them immediately. Thus I was not fully recovered when I decided that it was time to return to my usual place of daily employment. After one hour, I felt that the day would be better spent resting and was on my way to the car when I slipped on some frost...

A moment later, I was viewing the world from a horizontal position and wondering if I had bumped my head on my way down, I had definitely bumped my elbow and my underside was feeling a little tender, and yes I did believe I might have bumped the back of my head! This was BAD news! I gave myself a moment to gather myself and despite wishing to be magically transported home I knew that the right thing to do was to go back inside, and report the incident. Not only did I have to humble myself enough to admit that such a silly mishap had befallen me, I had to get checked by a doctor in Accident and Emergency to check that no serious damage had been done. Ever since I studied head injuries at college I knew that it was something definitely best avoided by people on anticoagulants, such as myself. I was right. As soon as warfarin was mentioned, guidelines were checked and the rules were: 12 hours observation. I had walked into the hospital that morning as a health professional and a few hours later was getting banded as a patient!!!!

From the receiving end, I am pleased to report that my colleagues are indeed wonderful people, and I was looked after very well. I also became aquainted with the night staff which had not been in the original plan but a worsening headache kept me in; happily I was set free the following day.

So I recovered from both cold and fall and have appreciated my sense of smell and lack of brain damage ever since! So please be careful as you go in this slippery season and look after yourself if you do catch a bug, make the most of the sofa time and let the world go on without you for a little while. When you are feeling better you can brighten it all the more with your new appreciation for your senses and life itself :-)

* (Grown Up with Congenital Heart Disease)

Announcing Princess Morag, the Grown-up graduate!

During the summer, I received correspondance regarding a graduation ceremony for those of us known as "The Grad Dips". Mercifully, we had all previously undergone the process in other subjects so were not exactly waiting with baited breath for it to be further confirmed that we are now Occupational Therapists, especially since most of us already have two certificates and job descriptions to prove so. The Occupational Therapy department at S. Martin's College, Lancaster were simply demonstrating their usual level of competence when they requested the honour of my presence in September to rather belatedly receive my college badge!

I had in fact been looking forward to some sort of an excuse to return to Lancaster. Although I spent virtually the same amount of time away from Lancaster on placement as I did residing there, I still regarded the town as my home for the two years it took me to complete my course. I had appreciated and enjoyed the fellowship I found at St Tees (St Thomas's Church of England): being a part of the student lunch gang, the friendship and support I found in my housegroup, the fabulous hospitality of my student link family which extended to providing me with a home for the last month of my course and the prayer and counselling support a wise woman of the pastoral support team provided. All of which kept my otherwise stressful and constantly changing lifestyle stable.

Going back to Lancaster was a reflective experience; all the things that I had spent my time waiting for while I was there have now happened: I managed to complete all my assignments adequately, and on time! I am now safely married, permanently reunited with my beloved therefore no longer pining after my 'phantom fiance' who nobody had met! That was one of the things that was great about going back because I was able to take Ryan with me and introduce him to my course mates and my church friends.

My course mates awarded me the prize of 'most successful long distance relationship' at our end of course party and having now received my college badge, I would still say I am more proud of the former rather than the latter. It was said in the graduation opening address that completing the demands of such an intensive course was an achievement, but to know that I did so while under additional personal stress makes me wonder how I managed. Of course I know the answer to that, it lies in the church support that I mentioned above and other friends that I was able to call on in moments of strife and distress and the faithfulness and love of the friend I have in Jesus.

Now that I am living my grown-up life as a wife and worker, I am thankful for the Lancaster time, the time that allowed me to discover who 'Morag' was. For while I was there, that's who I was, simply Morag; for once I was not someone's sister or daughter or girlfriend or academic mother, just ME. And I discovered that it was OK to be me, and that some of the things I believed about myself were not necessarily true but that quite a lot of people and God seemed to love me despite my making mistakes and getting mixed up about stuff.

God did some painful, difficult and amazing work in me while I was a student in Lancaster for which I'm grateful. I met some great people both there and in Carlisle, Hull and Glasgow where I spent time on placement and somehow along the way I managed to do some growing up. Not that I intend to ever fully grow up but the loss of student card and young person's rail card and the acqusitions of a car, job, husband and very soon a mortgage might indicate that 2005 has heralded Princess Morag - the adult.

Addressing the stress

Princess Morag has found her reign in this region somewhat stressful. After longing for the elevated title of 'Occupational Therapist' and wifely status, both work and home have required a period of adjustment. Having to devote 37 1/2 hours per week to the care and encouragement of fragile, troubled and lethargic souls does drain one. Previously full-time occupation was only ever of a temporary nature before taking sanctuary once again in the protected world of academia. Likewise, time spent with Sir Rianus tended to be taken within the context of vacation, and in the sunnier climes of California! Although a blessing to be married and not desiring to be parted, tension does seem to appear when sharing space, especially in how to keep that space from being taken over by piles of clutter!
Not only does work and the inevitable compromises of marriages affect Princess Morag but she seems to have a knack of allowing the everyday hassles to accumulate adding to the strain of appearing to cope. Perhaps it is not surprising that cracks would appear in the act of appearing 'normal'. Unfortunately when the cracks appeared, they were soon followed by gushes of water, a flood was avoided but there were definite puddles!
Sir Rianus managed to contain the occasional leaks with hugs and jokes but when yet another dam threatened to burst its banks he wisely advised to patch it up using the power of prayer! What good advice thought Princess Morag, who had previously thought of this solution but somehow never managed to put it into practice. However at this moment she knew exactly what to do. You see, she had voiced some of her worried to Sir Rianus in a long spiel of complaint but they still floated about and returned to annoy her, the way to get rid of them was to pin them to paper.

So out came the childrens drawing paper (it's large and therefore more able to catch God's attention) and the crayons (when you know you are a child of God, you might aswell act like one!) and onto the paper went the artistic representations of all that Princess Morag had allowed to overwhelm her. Sir Rianus helpfully contributed to the prayerwork but it was an offering that Princess Morag gave to Jesus with sorrow for not sharing with him her woes sooner.
So this entry goes out with a warning and encouragement. Don't let your worries build into a stress mess, the inevitable outburst is embarrassing and painful. Do share your concerns with the Lord Jesus, he is our Friend and promises to give us peace. Not a new lesson but it seems one that I require to learn again and again.

The Mystery of the Missing Kettle Tipper

One day Morag was taking a patient back to his house for a visit. There was a piece of equipment the man needed that would help making cups of tea easier. It is called a kettle tipper (because it tips the kettle), kettles can be very heavy to lift you know. The kettle tipper was supposed to be ready and waiting for the visit to the man's house, but it mysteriously disappeared.....
Thankfully the mysteriously disappearing kettle tipper was not the only one in the world and another kettle tipper was obtained in time (hooray!) At the man's house Morag had to utilise her problem solving skills in order to marry the kettle to its tipping apparatus - easier said than done and the instructions were awfully useful, as was the man who got to grips with the whole concept much faster than Morag! After cups of tea and coffee and a chat, Morag and the man returned to the hospital leaving the kettle tipper that had not mysteriously disappeared to fulfil its destiny.

Princess Morag falls ill!

On Wednesday, Princess Morag was rushed to the doctor from work by the wonderful Anna, who waited with her until the end of the ordeal i.e. collecting the antibiotics from the pharmacy! On her return home, Sir Rianus greeted her with a concerned embrace and sought to make her more comfortable providing the sustenance of food and drink. Princess Morag spent the evening and the following day languishing on the sofa in front of the television which offered little entertainment, but some escapism. Returing to work the next day seemed like a good idea until feelings of wobbliness arose again, so it was back to the sofa for Princess Morag!

Unfortunately, the weather today is not aiding Princess Morag's recovery as it is terribly humid, however the frolics of the Linlithgow Gala Day gave her some cheer. Although frustrated at the limitations of body, Princess Morag is rediscovering her long enjoyed past-time of daydreaming that helps to while away the hours. When she fully recovers she shall report more of her antics.

Morag enters the blogosphere!

Hello world!