of happenings large and small

Bloss has discovered ABBA - well, the "Mamma Mia" version at least. At 10, she wasn't about when ABBA was huge - I was about 14 and was a big fan - so it's all new to her. Growing up in a house where music is always playing, and with a musician for a dad, she has fairly wide-ranging tastes in music, from musical theatre to opera, from classical and some jazz to nursery rhymes and Christmas carols. She doesn't like most of the 'popular' music her little buddies at school listen to, which sometimes leads to a bit of teasing in the playground, but she has a fairly well-developed sense of self and is quite happy to be different most of the time. She has been to see "Mamma Mia" three times in the last couple of weeks and the soundtrack is now her bedtime music of choice, in between chapters of Harry Potter as read by Stephen Fry. We also have it in both cars and in the bathroom CD player... overkill, no?
The house was featured in the local real estate guide in today's paper, and there is another Open Home scheduled for Saturday, so we continue to wait and be positive that a buyer is not far away. We have asked for an extension of the contract we have on "our" new house, and informally the current owners have said that's not a problem. We know them well and they really want us to have the house, which was their mother's (whom we also knew very well), so that's all good.
Spent Sunday afternoon scrapping with Mandy and had a lovely girly, creative time in her beautifully warm loungeroom in front of the fire. Got 2 layouts done - one was a for a challenge - but couldn't upload 'cos my digital camera is cactus...gotta work on that. Did 2 more in front of the Olympics the other night and am planning to do some more tonight as MotH has band practice - which means I can spread out in the lounge :-)
MotH graduates from Uni on Saturday - B. Ed after 6 years of part-time external study - so we off to the ceremony in a city about 1 1/2 hours drive from here. Large Black Slothful Dog is having a night at the local kennels - which he loves 'cos they let him off the lead and he runs up and down all day (did I mention he's a retired greyhound?) - but no doubt we'll get the cold shoulder for a while when he comes home... Anyway, great rejoicing and it should be a great time for MotH - he's worked really hard and had excellent results all through, so he's really earned this. I am so proud of him. Will have to make sure we get some good pics I can scrap - we're borrowing his dad's digital SLR camera for the day.