The collection holds some wonderful memorabilia of Arthur.  When he finished his medical training in Edinburgh he set up a practice in Portsmouth and even played football there although not for the now troubled Portsmouth FC!

I’m not sure if this desk actually belonged to him or if it’s a replica.

The headstones on the wall by the desk are of Arthur and his wife from the Spiritualist church (his body is now in a churchyard in the New Forest).

On the bureau are old photos of mediums and spirits!

And here is the ever moving Tabitha in front of a collection of Sherlock Holmes games and toys.

But that was yesterday and today has been totally different.

I had an early morning appointment with the dentist today to extract a molar which had split in two after a root canal filling.  Last week when I went for the check up I knew I would have to lose my tooth just like today I *knew* the extraction wouldn’t be successful.  So after 3 injections and an almost panic attack, the tooth cracked and the dentist didn’t have the equipment necessary to remove all of the tooth.  I now have to wait, with upper tooth missing but root intact,  to be referred to hostpital for surgery.

I’m on yet another course of antibiotics to stop the infection and I bought some painkillers as the pain was becoming unbearable.  I try not to take medication and use natural remedies but tooth pain seems to be in a class all of its own. I gave birth to 3 big babies naturally but when it comes to teeth I can’t handle it.

When I came home from the dentist I burst into tears.  I feel so emotional about losing my tooth.  And I’m worried about going to the hospital already.  It was such a horrible experience at the dentist and I don’t want it repeated.

But life goes on and I’ll get over it

We saw Alice in Wonderland on Friday.  Tabitha loved the 3D glasses so much she wouldn’t leave the theatre without them!

Yesterday I went into the garden to look for signs of Spring.  It’s coming soon, I just know it

First daffodil:

Buds:

Crocus:

They save up some of their pocket money each week so they have a present fund and when the time comes around to spend it we take them to the shopping mall and let them loose!  I find it really nerve racking letting the apron string unwind a little.  But I want my sons to grow up to be thoughtful, independent men and this is a great way for them to learn.  It worked out really well today – Paul and I had a coffee while they bought cards and gifts then they came back to us when they’d finished.

Another nerve racking part is wondering what they come back with.  They have a list of ‘do not buy’ for me because this is what I’d get every year.  It would be a candle, some incense and a teddy bear – all stuff I love but requires little thought on their part.

So what did I get this year?

I’m sure she isn’t the only mother in the world to make that wish.  And sure enough, in one way or another, she’s got her wish.  There are times I find motherhood and my children stressful (but doesn’t everyone?).  In different ways my children have given me many difficulties, probably much more than I ever gave me own mother.

I never became a mum  expecting to have it easy.  Ok, I did until about 2 seconds after I gave birth then realised I was wrong.   But that’s not the point – it’s the impact those words, which my mother repeatedly told me, have had on me.  When my sons were little their father left and I was faced with bringing 2 toddlers up alone – I did find it very challenging and I would often think it was ‘my punishment’ for not being a good little girl to my own mum.

And then there’s my eyesight.  Time and time again I’d hear from my mum ‘if you don’t brush your hair out of your eyes you’ll wear glasses’.  By the time I was 13 I had my first pair of spectacles and a ‘told you so’ speech.

Another one of my mother’s favourite things to tell me was that children ruin your teeth.  I was very fortunate to have good, straight teeth and each time my mum had to go to the dentist she’d remind me of how having children sucked the goodness from her body and that’s why my teeth were good and hers not.

It’s amazing how those seeds get planted during childhood.  I’ve only had 3 fillings in my teeth – each one needed during each of my pregnancies.  And each time I had to go to the dentist I heard those words my mother said to me.  Unfortunately, the last one was a root canal and the tooth has now cracked.  It’s incredibly painful and I don’t go back to the dentist until Monday.

I’m sure I’ve made mistakes raising my children.  I know I have, I’m human.  But I’ve always been very conscious of what I’ve said to them.  I know how easy it is for children to take words from their parents and make them into little family curses that come back to haunt them through toddler and pre-teen temper tantrums, bad eyesight and painful teeth.

What’s In This Edition

• Paranormal Places – Haunted Jewellery
• Tales To Tremble By – The Djinn
• Divination Alley – Ask Your Genie Pendulum Chart
• Alternative Healing – Bath Therapy
• Wizard’s Corner – Djinn Banishing Ring
• Picnic With The Dead – Interview With Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Witch Crafting – Pagan Prayer/Blessing Beads
• The Witch’s Kitchen – Spicy Peanut Soup
• Green Living – Spring Clean With Green
• Reviews – The Book of English Magic
• Power Animals – Chicken
• Herb of the Month – Mugwort
• Meeting the Gods & Goddesses – Idun

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Where we live there are no ethnic food shops so we have to drive into either Southampton or Portsmouth to get our spices.  Supermarkets just charge a fortune for a lot less and the variety is limited.  So we took the kids to my favourite ethnic store (the range is huge plus they sell homemade samosas and bhajis which are to die for!!).

This is what we came back with:

And here’s a happy cupboard

My sons went to the barbers on Friday.  My elder loves his hair being ‘just so’ but the younger one (left) just wanted it ‘messy’.  I’d had enough of messy so here are the before and after shots:

Much better, don’t you think?

And I’m a little concerned Daniel (right) is turning into Jedward from the X-Factor.  Spooky!

So this weekend has been like a little slice of heaven.   The boys were off with their Dad for a long weekend so Paul and I (plus Tabitha) went away to Glastonbury to celebrate both our 6th wedding anniversay and Valentine’s day.

We booked a hotel for the night and had dinner in the restaurant.  The food was fantastic – the Italian hotel owner doubled as the chef!

Then it was off to Glastonbury.  I just love the shops there!

We came home with books (as usual) and Paul picked up a Tarot deck.  While we were there I picked out what I wanted for Valentine’s.  So Paul got me a Goddess scarf:

A Little Witch Voodoo doll (really, what else could a girl want for Valentine’s day??)

And a silver charm bracelet.  You can’t really see it too well because I was having trouble taking the photo of my wrist.  It never occured to me to take it off.  You can just make out a pentagram and a blurry Pan with his dangley bits exposed!

We finished off our weekend by eating far too many chocolates and homemade chocolate brownie

What did you do?