Stashes, Rashes, remedying crashes, and Badlashes!

Commiserations to the girls from the North East who were voted off the X Factor last week. Badlashes were no-where near the worst act performing during the show and we should be ashamed of ourselves for not being more supportive of the talent from our neck of the woods. I'm sorry Girlband but you weren't even in tune, and if Scott wins then we are destined for Shane Ward all over again. It's our loss because those girls could have been so entertaining, as we saw from their auditions. Don't give up girls, because when you give up on your dreams you regret it for the rest of your life!

Sadly I did not get to watch the show on Saturday as I was in a 4* hotel enjoying my 'hote cuisine' with D for our anniversary - courtesy of me I hasten to add. Well....when we found the hotel anyway. In true 'Bridget Jones' style the hotel location I thought we were heading for was actually a restaurant, and I had no idea where the hotel was at all. While driving round Newcastle trying to find the hotel, I realised it was time to swallow my pride and ring them for directions. (It was their fault anyway because they had said they would send me a map and didn't!) Decision made just in time as D was beginning to get very irate and he had a splitting headache - good start to the evening. After several attempts we made it, with the help of a very attentive concierge guiding us every step of the way by phone - embarrassing doesn't even come close. Of course I cheered up no end as he insisted on parking our car for us. This is how the other half live!

Although the decor was dated and tired, the staff were friendly and our room was great. Double bed (all you need really), sofa's, a TV with many channels (like we will be watching that), a desk (err.....not working, thank god), a mini bar, (woohoo!), and a bathroom. No sooner were we in it than there was a knock at the door with our champagne and canapes. Fabulous darling!

Dinner was approaching, but still hungry after the 3 canapes each we decided we needed £4.50 worth of minuscule packet of nuts and £1.50 worth of tiny tube of Pringles. At dinner the food was of a different league altogether - although I did feel a little uncomfortable in the fancy restaurant. Using my 'Pretty Woman' found knowledge of restaurant etiquette I started from the outside and worked in where my cutlery was concerned, and of course wasn't in the least bit surprised as the waiter placed the napkin on my lap for me! Unable to get away from work even on my anniversary, I was nervous to see the very heavily pregnant woman also dining with us in the restaurant, and became twitchy as scenes of 'hotel birthing' ran through my mind.

You don't need the details of the finale to the evening as this is both too much information - and could be considered a bit gross, so I will simply add about the unbelievable 'power shower' that nearly wrestled me to the ground as I used it the next morning. Oh how I wish I had one of those to wake me up with a full 'pelting' massage every morning.

A lengthy walk around Newcastle and a bunch of wooden roses later it was time to collect Ali from my mothers house and rejoin the real world. I also had a shift at work that evening - which actually became a severe migraine and a return home at something past midnight. Too much in too little time, compiled with stress attacking from every angle, left me fumbling around trying to find my bed in the dark because I couldn't bear to put the lights on, and D nearly through the roof as he wondered who the hell was getting into bed with him! Slightly worrying however that he didn't hear me crash through the back door, stumble into the lounge and make a phone call, and use and flush the toilet before I got into bed. He's going to be so useful in the event of an intruder! Just 'me' and the 'candlestick', in the 'bedroom' then.

Also crammed into the last few days was the repair of my little car. My lovely brother surprised me with the part to replace the 'dunched' wing that I 'obtained' last December, and I had it fitted. It was an excellent job from the boys at Winlaton Garage, everyone will be none the wiser.......

In reflection of my daughters latest antics, I have found one of her latest behaviours hilarious to say the least. I have aptly named it 'stashing', because, well, that's what it is. For weeks I have been looking for the red hand-towel missing in action from our kitchen, then the other day while cleaning, found it shoved between the TV cabinet and the wall, along with a small doll wrapped in a flannel, a hair clip, a stone, a sock and a sandal. I have since found two more stashes of a similar nature -one involving an absent oven glove. Weird.

On a very positive note, the bizarre rash that had presented on the back of Ali's legs and on her buttocks; that wasn't chicken pox or meningitis (yes I rolled a glass across the blotches), has now miraculously disappeared. None of us are any the wiser as to its cause, including the GP, who is probably being payed hundreds of thousands to say - 'its not chicken pox and I couldn't be sure of what has caused it, but she is well in herself so I wouldn't worry'. Genius.