......I'm still standing......

Charlie's latest trick....it's just over a week ago that she started crawling....and now here she is standing up, holding on to the furniture!

Amazingly I too am still able to stand up, after a really hectic week.

Fuelled by vodka last night I foolishly stayed up until 1.30 a.m. editing my photographs so I could produce discs for each of the Russian schools.

As I was drifting off to sleep I suddenly realised that last night I had cooked 35.... yes 35!...... pizzas using 11....yes 11!....... ovens!!!!!!

And sliced them all into 8 portions!

Up early again this morning. Why? Because I must be a glutton for it!

Off to meet the boys at the tackle shop and order the bait for tomorrows fishing.

Then into work for 8.45 to cook the Russians a last breakfast. What did we give them? That quintessential English breakfast.....bacon butties!!!! God knows how many we made.

Left at 9.45, before they arrived as I was on baby duty with strict orders to be home by 10. Could have stayed long enough to see them because the S&H didn't deliver Charlotte until 10.30.

Really nice hour with her....and then I noticed that distinctive smell.....a nappy change was needed. She wasn't keen....in fact she put up a hell of a fight....but eventually I triumphed by two pin falls to one! At which point the Boss, Daughter and YH all arrived from the NCT sale....and asked why I was looking so flustered and red in the face!

After showing off their purchases, two baby gates for £10, a home baby protection kit ( door stops, soft corner fixings to avoid banged heads etc, electric socket blanks and more) for £3 and a big bag of books for £2, the Boss decided she had done so well and saved so much money that we should take YH out for a birthday lunch and spend all she had saved!

I think I nodded off for a nano-second in the pub....at least three times. On the walk back home who should pass us but my colleague Jo, who has been cooking with me all week, sounding her horn and yelling out of the car window! Seems she had been to her mother-in law's to borrow the dog to go for a walk up Holcombe Hill........that girl has way too much energy!

The S&H returned from his hockey game (a 3-3 draw and he saved a penalty) and then they set off for YH mum's in Devon for a couple of days.

Burned two discs of my photographs.....and then we had a power cut....so I grabbed a quick 30 minute snooze.

6 o'clock tonight went to meet the Russians at a pub near to their hotel after their day in Blackpool....gave them their discs....had a beer....hebs turned up with James, the Head was there too....and he was buying...and Dai arrived...just started the second beer when Marina and Larissa announced they were heading off to the Trafford Centre....where they had been on Tuesday evening....to buy some i-pods! Said our farewells in the traditional Russian style ...three cheek kisses...and 10 minutes later the two Headteachers Sergei and Larissa also announced that they were leaving....more kisses, bear hugs from Sergei and an invitation to visit Omsk again...and they were gone.

The Head decided he would bail out too, Dai and his wife departed and hebs announced her intention to go to The TC and see if she could do some Christmas shopping...so there I was..on my tod....a great, knackering, brilliant week over.

The Daughter came to pick me up, the Boss ordered me to fetch home Chinese food...we ate..... I sorted my gear for tomorrow.......and now I'm blipping and struggling to stay awake.

The Russians are actually leaving on a coach at 2.00 a.m. tomorrow and fly out of Heathrow some time tomorrow early afternoon........by that time I will have been fishing and will probably be asleep in an arm chair at home.

The Boss is back at work tomorrow after 10 days off ....and it's night shifts again....so more restless nights for me.

Wonder if hebs meant it about being a surrogate Boss?.....and if she did when I can give her my washing!

Das vidanya moy padruga.