Today it is exactly one year since =wazabees arrived in the UK. It's been one hell of a year, but the best fun ever. I'm still as mad about him as I ever was. Maybe more, in fact.

You may have noticed that Raturday didn't happen on 3rd October like I said it would. That's because I didn't receive any submissions for it. I think that's a sign that it's not really a viable feature, so I'm going to stop it. I will occasionally post a "small animal thumbnail journal" though, when I feel I've found enough to make it worthwhile.

Orion is doing brilliantly as usual. He's reached what I lovingly call the Fuck You Fours. For the most part he's just the sweetest, politest, most eerily well-behaved child in the world. Occasionally he melts down, and that's the fuck-you part. He's starting to define himself and become an independent human being all of his own, and the occasional tantrum is part of that, I think. We do lots of fun things together these days - in fact we just baked a banana loaf today and then ate the whole thing! Brilliant.

I've been blogging lately, you might be interested:

• The Adult Privilege Checklist


• Seventh Feminist Carnival


• Fifth Carnival of Feminist Parenting


• Sixth Carnival of Feminist Parenting

And I think that's all I have to talk about right now. It's all I can be bothered to write, anyway. I'm very tired and I should be in bed already (I know, I know, I'm old). Still can't believe he's been here a whole year.

It's Raturday! Well actually it's Ratonday, because I've been ill over the weekend. It's all right, none of these critters have lost any of their cuteness in the time that has passed.

Don't forget to send me a note with submissions for next month's Raturday, which will be held on Saturday 7th November. Submission deadline is Friday 6th November.

Raturday is a monthly feature showcasing the best small animal art on deviantART. For more information on Raturday, please check the Raturday Information Journal.

=wazabees and I are thinking of organising a Portsmouth meet. I want to gauge interest to see how many people would be interested in a meet down here, and if so when people might be available and what we'd want to do.

I'm thinking a weekend day would be best, probably a Saturday, and that we could go down to the beach, possibly have a wander around Southsea Castle and then go on to Gunwharf to go up the Spinnaker Tower, which hopefully the photographers will love.

So who's up for it, and who has some ideas of things to do?

Cross-posted to #britain.

Two new blog posts I've written recently:

No, Katie Price is not obliged to name her rapist. - a post taking down those who are condemning Katie Price for refusing to name her rapist and/or press charges against him. This post has now been accepted as a guest post at The F Word.

Fourth Carnival of Feminist Parenting - the Carnival of Feminist Parenting is a monthly roundup I do over at Mothers For Women's Lib showcasing the best feminist parenting blog posts and articles.

In sort-of-blogging news, I forgot to mention that Mothers For Women's Lib now has its own forum. The forum is open to likeminded women and men, preferably parents though non-parents are welcome. I hope you'll join us. Add us on Twitter too, where you can talk feminist parenting with us and send links for next month's carnival.

In non-blogging news, =wazabees finally got a job! He moved here in November last year, spent a few months getting accustomed to living here in the UK in my "bird box" house with a mad woman, a small child and a cage full of rats, and has spent about five or six months jobhunting. Finally it's paid off, and he started yesterday. I'm so happy for him - though as it's in Bournemouth (50 miles away) he has to leave before Orion and I even wake up, so I've been thrown into semi-single-parenting again much sooner than I'd hoped.

There's an excellent video of Orion dancing to "I Like To Move It" (I can never hear that song without thinking of Madagascar!) at my Vimeo page. Seriously, it's ridiculously cute.