...on the blossom trail

2011-09-09T18:14:00.000+01:00

*...the way forward...

Not sure there's anyone still out there, which is not at all surprising, given the rather extreme lack of posting over the past couple of years.

Anyway. Here I sit, once more about to embark on a regime of diet and (mostly) exercise; completely fed up that I've put back on most of the 4-stone weight loss I achieved 3 years ago, I'm rapidly approaching 40, and I really do not want to continue in this vein of yo-yo dieting, and not exercising. I feel very strongly that I need to be setting a better example to my beautiful girls: I don't want them ever to be in this cycle that I've become used to. I'd like to be much fitter than I am, as I know my mental health is much improved when I'm physically fit.

So, I've taken the plunge and signed up to Jillian Michaels' online plan; the cost is around $4 per week, and I've signed up for an initial 13-week plan. My goal is to lose around 40lbs (not in 13 weeks!!!), and this time keep it off by continuing to exercise.

Even if no-one is reading this, I'd like to keep a journal of my progress, and this seems as good a place as any to record my thoughts, goals and frustrations!!!

2010-12-01T10:11:00.002Z

I wonder if anyone is still out there in blog land!! I can't quite believe it's been so long since I last updated my blog, but I have a yearning to start blogging again. Let's see how it goes.

2009-07-12T11:26:00.001+01:00

*test post*

2008-01-12T22:43:00.000Z

...a crafty afternoon!

Whilst I took F to see her great-grampa this afternoon, A and Ed spent a happy couple of hours crafting, and A made this beautiful card creation with bits and pieces that she had for Christmas.

I just love these little hands - they are small, dainty, dextrous, creative - beautiful!

Hope you're all having a good weekend - more tomorrow!

2008-01-08T17:30:00.000Z

the reluctant dog...

Rudi is getting a big long in the tooth now - she was 12 in December, which makes her some ridiculous age like 84 and a half in dog years! She just can't be bothered with photo shoots and posing these days, witness these shots taken this afternoon:

She's not the most animated of subjects, is she??!!!

Girlies were in full pose mode this afternoon:

I took delivery of a few books bought on eBay today, so I'm going to spend my evening with my head in a book - there's absolutely nothing on the television these days, it seems - unless anyone has any recommendations?!!

Cheerio!

2008-01-07T23:38:00.001Z

nice and gently back to school...

Ahhh, a nice smooth re-entry for the three of us, back to the world of school this morning. I have been working at the girls' school since September as a SEN teaching assistant, and it is fantastically rewarding, but very time-consuming in terms of all the stuff I do for school in my own time. I'm really enjoying it, though, and my little charges seemed pleased to see me today after their Christmas break.

Will be back tomorrow with some up-to-date photos of my two blondies; my littler blondie has decided that she no longer wishes to play rugby on a Sunday morning - I can't say I blame her, she was the only girl amongst a pack of unruly 6 and 7 year-old boys who made no concession for the fact that she wasn't a bruiser like most of them, and she now wants to do rock ballet with her big sister on a Saturday morning instead! I'm all for it; she seems to be realising that it's OK to have short hair, to like pirates, cars, rockets, not to want to wear pink, and STILL be a girl. Hoorah! She gave the boy thing a go, but I think she's happier in her XX skin.

Night, night!

2008-01-06T19:33:00.001Z

back to school tomorrow...

For all three of us, and Ed is back to work. I'm feeling fairly ambivalent about the return to work - it is what it is!!! The girls are tucked up in bed for a good night's sleep - their routine hasn't altered much over the holidays, thankfully, although the 7am start tomorrow morning is going to be a bit of a shock to the system. I'm just sitting here making final preparations for my day before trying to have an early night myself. Will upload some photos tomorrow; lack of blogging has meant a bit of a lack of photo taking, too, so I'm going to try and take more photos in 2008, particularly of Ed and I, as we don't feature much in the thousands of photos taken since the girls were born. Here's a warts 'n' all one of me taken this morning (no hair brush, no make-up!!) - I went out into the garden to capture the emerging blossom on a couple of the trees and shrubs. Surely it is too early for blossom yet?

Cheerio!

2008-01-05T17:26:00.000Z

i've forgotten how to use Blogger!!!

Crikey, has it really been that long?? I'm sure there are few, if any, people out there who still have an active link to this little blog of mine, so I won't expect a slew of visitors, but I'm back and blogging again, though without obligation, and not stressing if days (or months) go by with no posting.

How have you all been??

It's good to be back :)

early post!

2007-06-22T09:23:00.000+01:00

Just rushing round trying to get my things together for my weekend away here and I thought, "I know, I'll just see whether the prompt is up at her space:my space..." and sure enough, it is!! The word today is 'straight':

If you get a chance, pop over to It's A Creative World, where we're running an interview with Ngaire Bartlam, fabulous Aussie scrapper, and all-round gorgeous woman! And there will be another fantastic giveaway over the weekend.

That's all 'til Sunday, folks! Take care 'til then xxx

tea/infusion confusion!

2007-06-21T18:22:00.000+01:00

I don't really know what is the difference between a tea and an infusion, and I haven't had time today to look it up, but the prompt at her space:my space is 'tea'. I suspect my fennel-inspired effort possibly doesn't fit the brief, but this is what was to hand, and will have to suffice!!

The postie brought a treat this morning in the form of these beautiful buttons hand-painted by Adrienne; I have coveted these for ages and was finally able to be quick enough off the mark to buy some from her Etsy shop. They're gorgeous. At the time of writing, there are some recently added button packs still available - grab one whilst you have a chance!

There was time for a spot of scootering in the rain this afternoon; only a light rain, so no danger of the girls getting soaked.

I possibly won't get a chance to post again until Sunday, as I'm off for a crafty weekend with some scrapbook/crafting girlies - can't wait! I'll catch up on the her space:my space prompts after the weekend.

...and then it came to me!!

2007-06-20T22:04:00.000+01:00

I was racking my brains all day, having seen that the prompt at her space:my space this morning was 'press'; an artful shot of a finger on the doorbell? two little hands pressed together? I have resisted the temptation to look at anyone else's shots until this is uploaded, because I'm dying to see whether people have used the same props, and how others have interpreted this.

Here is my contribution:

Caz posted a fab post on knitting at It's A Creative World; some great hints for first-time and novice knitters, and some good links.

That's it from me today; tomorrow I will be running around like a headless chicken, preparing for a weekend away with thirty or so of my crafty, scrapbooking friends - I can't wait!

'drowned' for a week?

2007-06-19T17:26:00.000+01:00

As the girls were enjoying their tea this evening, and I was pottering in the kitchen, I could hear a conversation going on, that went something along the lines of this:

F: You really shouldn't mess about with your food, A!
A: Why not?
F: Because if you're a naughty girl, mummy will 'drowned' you for a week!
A: What does that mean?
F: It means that mummy will be really cross, and you'll be drowned.
A: What does drowned mean?
F: I don't know, but it's really bad.

At this point, A decided to seek clarification, but because I'd only caught snippets of the conversation, when she asked me what drowned meant, I gave her the literal meaning, i.e. a watery end. It was only when F came in and said that she'd heard of people being drowned for a week when they'd been naughty, that I realised she meant 'grounded'!!! *phew*

The prompt at her space:my space today is 'milk'; rather than re-post the photo I took yesterday, which was distinctly milky, here is my contribution today:

And because we had the milk out, we also had to get some shots of A's milky chops!

Some more swinging around in the garden after school:

Wishing you all a happy Tuesday, what's left of it wherever you are!

mmmm...can you smell these?

2007-06-18T21:53:00.000+01:00

Freshly baked bread rolls, made by Ed and the girls yesterday afternoon; the smell that pervaded the house as they were cooking was divine, and they were so soft and sniffable upon exiting the oven that I was moved to stand over them for a good couple of minutes just breathing in the delicious, warm bready air! Having dined heartily last night, and after filling Ed's lunchbox and the girls' tea order this evening, they are all gone.

And over at her space:my space today, the prompt is 'drink'; I was a little at a loss as to what to do for this one, and I think my effort is a bit lacking, but anyway, here it is:

If you get a chance, pop over to It's A Creative World where Di has made a fantastic post all about altered alphabets. Well worth a visit!

happy father's day!

2007-06-17T16:45:00.000+01:00

We've had a lovely day today; F and I got up and made breakfast for everyone. Ed usually eats very healthily, so we pushed the boat out and cooked a full English, (well, my version of a full English!!), including spicy potatoes using potatoes picked from his mum's garden yesterday. It all went down a treat!

The prompt at her space:my space today is 'berry'; Ed was dispatched to the farm shop to buy some strawberries, and here is my contribution:

They are all now long-gone, having been enjoyed after our roast at lunchtime!

Couldn't resist having a little strawberry-inspired photo shoot with A in the garden - she was quite willing to pose with a mouthful of strawberry!!

***last opportunity today to be in with a chance of winning a ScrapaGoGo kit - pop over to It's A Creative World and leave a comment on yesterday's or today's posts, and your name will be entered into the draw***

a quiet day...

2007-06-16T19:23:00.000+01:00

Spent a quiet day without Ed and the girls - they went to visit grandma and grandad to deliver grandad's Father's Day card - and took the opportunity to do some lovely housework!! I know, that awful word, but it needed to be done, and it's so much easier when there's no-one else here!! Ed had the camera, too, so credit for the photo below for today's prompt at her space:my space goes to him! As soon as the prompt was up at lunchtime, I phoned him to give him his brief - how dedicated is that??!!!

I've just returned from playing with the Wind Band; we were providing some background entertainment at a barbecue at the local church. We just about managed to complete our programme before it started to pour.

We're running another prize draw over at It's A Creative World - leave a comment on today's or tomorrow's posts and be in with a chance of winning a fabulous kit from ScrapaGoGo!

a very wet Friday!

2007-06-15T19:59:00.000+01:00

My goodness, it poured down this afternoon when the girls and I were walking home from school. Luckily, I had taken umbrellas for the three of us with me, because we would surely have been drenched without them. As it was, we all had pretty wet feet, and it was a case of quick-change all round when we got back in the house.

Before the heavens opened, I was able to get out into the garden to forage for a subject for a photo meeting the brief over at her space:my space today, 'shell' - I thought there would be umpteen willing gastropods lurking in damp corners, just waiting to have their moment in the spotlight, but in fact, all I could find was this empty specimen - not a live one to be had.

A couple of photos from this afternoon; having divested themselves of their wet clothes, the girls decided it was to be 'dress-up Friday', and both raided the dressing-up box for something suitable to wear.

A little sewing project this afternoon; whilst painting a canvas in the garage a couple of weeks ago, I managed to get a good blob of brown emulsion on the leg of some short trousers which, despite my best efforts, has stubbornly refused to come out! I decided that the only thing for it was to cover the blob, and, with the aid of my much-neglected Sizzix, some pretty fabric, the miracle of Bondaweb, a hot iron, and a novice blanket stitch, this is the finished thing:

I'm pretty pleased with the finished result - much better than chucking them in the bin, anyway!

sneak peeks...

2007-06-14T18:20:00.000+01:00

First things first, and the prompt over at her space:my space today is 'boat'. I suffered for my art today, as the boat I wanted to capture was in a very damp patch in the garden, and I was forced onto my knees to get a decent shot!!

I am making my first post at It's A Creative World tomorrow, and I am already feeling very nervous about it. Silly, I know, but it's inescapable. Anyway, I thought I'd give readers of my blog a little taster of what to expect, without giving too much away, so here are a few sneak peeks.

Do come back tomorrow for a proper look!

busy bee!

2007-06-13T22:31:00.000+01:00

I have been busy beavering away on my first project for It's A Creative World today, so I don't have much in the way of news, and no photos, other than my her space:my space effort for today. My project goes live on Friday, so keep a look out if you're interested! Here's my photo - the prompt today is 'hand'.

Ed's hand!

no news Tuesday...

2007-06-12T21:22:00.000+01:00

Not much happening here today! Had a very easy job of it with the prompt at her space:my space, 'tired', as I look after my friend's 10 month-old daughter on Tuesdays, and she always has a good sleep whilst she's here!!

Yes, I probably should have cleaned the Weetabix off her mouth!!

A dug out a game this afternoon, Play Doh Operation, and the girls set about making a heart, intestines and all sorts of other bodily parts for their patient. A made him a good set of "glungs", as she calls them!

They then attempted to scratch a hopscotch board onto the patio slabs, but I think I'm going to have to dig out some chalk, because it was very feint. Didn't deter them from having a go, though.

Lying on the lawn taking photos looking upwards!

We have a beautiful shrub/tree-type thing in our garden, which is covered in blossom at the moment. My mum thinks that, from memory, it's some variety of spirea. If anyone has any other ideas, I'd be pleased to hear them.

exhausted!!

2007-06-11T21:41:00.000+01:00

I am SO tired; my friend and I managed to get lost coming out of London in the car last night, and ended up on the North Circular, rather than the A40; I think the delay cost us about 3/4 of an hour, and we didn't get home until 1.30. Consequently, I am ready to fall into bed, and as soon as I've done this, that's exactly where I'll be heading! George Michael was fantastic, totally lived up to my expectations, and delivered a superb show. The new Wembley Stadium is great, really well-marshalled, a good police presence, and the provision of trains at Wembley Park after the concert was amazing - hordes of people streamed into the station, and there was no jostling on the platforms or sardine-packed carriages - it was a totally stress-free, enjoyable experience.

On to other things, and I was volunteering at Rainbows tonight to make Father's Day cards with the girls. I had to keep to a very simple design, as it needed to be do-able by 15 five and six year-olds in roughly half an hour. The girls came up trumps, and produced some lovely cards, which I'm sure will be much appreciated and well-received this coming Sunday.

The prompt at her space:my space today is 'me'!! I was waiting for this to come up, and I don't think I photograph particularly well, so it's always a bit of a challenge trying to get a half decent shot!! This is the best I can do with the raw materials available!!!

Night, night, all - I'm off to my bed!

quite excited...

2007-06-10T14:41:00.000+01:00

An earlier post than usual today, as I am off to see George Michael at the new Wembley Stadium this evening - leaving in about quarter of an hour!! I know he's not everybody's cup of tea, but he's been a fave of mine since I was 10 - only 25 years' worth of devotion!! Anyway, I am really looking forward to it.

Another beautiful day; very hot, (too hot for me, if I'm brutally honest), and a chance for the girls to pose, yet again, for photos in the garden. No chance of a sensible face from A today, but this captures pretty much who she is!!

The prompt at her space:my space today is 'nugget'. I struggled with subject matter for this, until I remembered some glass bead/nugget-type things that mum has in a bowl, so I purloined a couple of those, and am quite pleased with the result:

Right! George is calling, so I'll bid you adieu, and wish you all a peaceful Sunday!

and the sun shone...

2007-06-09T20:03:00.000+01:00

Hasn't it been gorgeous today! Was moved to slap factor 50 all over the children, because it was so very hot, but it really has been a beautiful day. We spent a good portion of the day at Ed's parents' house for their joint 60th birthday celebrations. Ed was supposed to be photographing the event, but we seem to have a dearth of photos, none of either of the birthday people, none of A, and none of me!! Never mind... It was almost too hot to do anything, and thankfully there was ample shade, and we had a super day. A couple of shots from this afternoon, the first one of F wearing Ed's cousin's cowboy hat, and the second one of F with her little cousin, who thinks she is the best thing since sliced bread, and cries every time we have to say goodbye, bless him.

I don't think A was still long enough to photograph...

The prompt at her space:my space today is 'plug'. I am really enjoying participating in this daily task, it makes you take a second look at the space around you. Anyway, here is my effort:

I made a card for my MIL, and I'll post a photo here, as a little taster of a post that Di will be making over at It's A Creative World early next week; it's not a card-making slot, so I'm not giving anything away, but Di has got some fab tips and hints, so be sure to check in!

Talking of It's A Creative World, anyone leaving a comment on today's post at IACW will be entered into a draw to win a fabulous kit from Scrapbook Central, who are also offering readers of the blog a 15% discount for the whole of this week - check out the blog for the discount code.

Finally this evening, top of the girls' t.v. viewing schedule for the week is Dr Who - they don't watch any television during the week, so Saturday evenings are eagerly anticipated, and everything stops for the Doctor! They say it's NOT scary...

I might beg to differ!!

Hope you're all having a great weekend; thank you for reading!

and the winner is...

2007-06-08T19:28:00.000+01:00

First things first, and the winner of Sunday's 100th post draw, winning a little goody bag from me, is:

Sweetgirl, aka Linda - Linda, I will contact you for your address!

The prompt at her space:my space today is 'cheese' - I absolutely LOVE cheese, especially soft, French, smelly cheese such as Chaumes, which stinks to high heaven, but is absolutely delicious!! Here is my take on today's prompt:

Made a birthday card today for a cyberpal who will be 60 tomorrow; I think I'm fairly safe posting this here, because I don't think she reads my blog. Popped it in the post before it was collected, so I'm now crossing everything that it gets there on time.

It has been a lovely afternoon here in blossom trail country, so the girls were making the most of the garden.

And finally, along with my cyberpal, my mum-in-law will be 60 tomorrow. A disappeared into her room to make a card for her, and Ed captured her, nearly at the completion of her task, deep in concentration:

Long may it last!!

furry?!!

2007-06-07T20:29:00.000+01:00

The prompt over at her space:my space today is 'furry' - find something furry in your space. Now, I'm not too sure my chosen subject fits the brief, being, as she is, hairy, rather than furry, strictly speaking. BUT, she is very photogenic, and I couldn't readily put my hands on anything that was properly furry, so I've allowed myself a little artistic licence today!! Anywhere, here she is, in all her confused glory:

On to other things, and Andrea made today's post over at It's A Creative World - a card-making class which promised to produce a beautiful card in roughly 20 minutes. I put this to the test this afternoon, and can highly recommend it if you need a fab card in a hurry - it was SO easy to do, thanks to Andrea's great instructions, and I'm really pleased with how mine turned out.

We had a slight trauma in the blossom trail household this afternoon - I had taken the girls to meet friends of ours for a pub tea (for the children) after their swimming lesson. There is a smashing pub a short car ride away with a fantastic wooden playground for the children, set in a 1/4 acre field. Just as we were preparing to leave, I asked F where her hearing aid was - not in her ear, it turned out. I then had the somewhat formidable task of combing the field trying to find something not much bigger than a child's little finger!! Anyway, after 25 frantic, yet methodical minutes' searching, I found it, underneath the monkey bars!! I can't tell you how elated I felt - we don't have a spare, and I know there would have been a wait for a replacement. It's amazing how much of a boost you can get from finding something you thought you'd lost.

just a quickie...

2007-06-06T22:44:00.000+01:00

Feel like I've had a very busy day, so I'll keep this brief!

The prompt over at her space:my space today was 'bread', and this is my effort, which I'm quite pleased with. Ed bakes a loaf every couple of days, and the smell whilst it's cooking is absolutely divine. I'm not actually eating any at the moment, as part of my weight-loss bid, but nevertheless I can appreciate the beauty of a freshly baked loaf!

Told you it would be brief! Night, all!!

not taking life too seriously!

2007-06-05T21:21:00.000+01:00

Taking photos in the garden this afternoon, and it seems that A has a compulsion to stick out her tongue for almost every frame; I had the camera on rapid fire (or whatever the technical term is!!) and managed to get some half-decent photos, but for every half-decent one, there are maybe nine or ten with tongue out!! She is certainly one of life's jokers, and seems to thrive on making people laugh. F, on the other hand, whilst she does enjoy making people laugh, she also has a very earnest and sedate side to her nature. As I've said before, they are polar opposites, and I wouldn't have either of them any other way. Here are a couple of photos from today:

I have long admired the photography skills of Kirsty Wiseman and Anita Mundt and have today taken the plunge and joined their happy band of followers, and am going to try and keep up with their prompts in a bid to test and improve my own photographic skills. Here is my effort from today, which I'm not altogether happy with, but having to turn the basket upside down to photograph it at least gave me an excuse to clear out all the cr*p that had accumulated in it, on top of the fridge!!!

And lastly, for today, have you checked out It's A Creative World lately? Maria has posted a great entry today showing how to turn an ordinary, plain old shed into a bijou pad for the little people in your lives (or somewhere to escape to to craft/read/sleep!!) Go and have a look!

...a lovely day

2007-06-04T22:43:00.001+01:00

The girls' school had a teacher day today, so I had the pleasure of their company for one last day before they start back for their final half-term in years 2 and R. We had F's friend V for the day as well, and I decided to push the boat out and invite another three people (2 kidlets plus my friend Sue!) to lunch. Had a very relaxed day, no arguments, no squabbling, which is always a bonus!!

The day was off to a grand start with the arrival of a parcel for me that I had totally forgotten was on its way. I was lucky enough to win the draw on Suzanne's blog when she made her 100th post, and this morning I received the most wonderful pizza box stuffed full of gorgeous scrapping stash, together with a 'champagne and roses' scented sachet. I love and will use it all - thank you, Suzanne, you made my week!

On to other things, and the beanstalk, as stated in yesterday's post, continues to grow at some speed. We had another photo shoot with it today, and, as you can see, it really does need a new pot and a stake quite urgently. One of the jobs on my 'to do' list for tomorrow.

A is very pleased with its progress!!

A came to me this afternoon, whilst F was quietly drawing and colouring, to ask whether she could borrow some saucepans and a couple of wooden spoons. The suspicious mother instinct kicked in, and I decided I needed some further information before granting or denying this wish. I had visions of unspeakably messy potions being mixed up in the garden - not that I mind that, but not with my best saucepans and spoons that I'd like to use again!! Turns out she and V wanted to form a band, V playing F's 1/2-size violin, and A on drums. And a beautiful racket they made, too!!!

Just a little reminder for the thousands who missed it - anyone posting a comment on yesterday's '100th post' entry by 7pm on Friday evening will have their name entered into a draw for a little goody bag, so if you've visited but haven't commented, what's stopping you?!!

100th post!

2007-06-03T23:17:00.000+01:00

Ahhhh, finally got there!! Was touch and go there for a minute, when it looked as though I'd disappeared from the blogosphere altogether, but at last I've made it to my one hundredth post. In honour of this momentous occasion, and in a shameless bid to attract more comments than were garnered by the previous post, I will offer a little goody bag to someone, a name to be drawn at random from the doubtless multitude of posters!! The draw will take place on Friday evening this week.

So, a quiet day in the blossom trail household. I spent most of it in bed, having been struck down with a revolting lurgy late last night of the "quick, I need a toilet!" variety - too much information, I'm sure. Anyway, I felt weak and wan this morning and afternoon, but am now feeling loads better, so I can only assume that whatever it was has exited my system, thank goodness.

When the children broke up for half-term, all of A's class came out clutching little plant pots filled with compost and, I was reliably informed, a bean had been carefully planted therein. I was doubtful as to whether any life would spring forth, however, on the third day, after careful watering, a little shoot appeared. By the following day, a leaf had appeared at the top of the shoot, as can be seen here:

A is naturally convinced that this is going to grow ever-skywards, and that she will, eventually, be able to join the giant beyond the clouds. I will take another photo tomorrow, as it is now spiralling out of control and is going to have to be repotted in a much bigger pot, and staked, if it is to have any chance of survival. I also have custody of two Bizzy Lizzies (Busy Lizzies??!!) which have to be nurtured and returned to school for judging at the end of term. I'm not sure what methods some people employ in tending their school plants, but ours usually look pretty sorry sights compared to some of the magnificent blooms that turn up on judging (judgment!) day. Perhaps we'll sing to them this year...

the new look...

2007-06-02T22:45:00.000+01:00

...is only temporary whilst I create a new banner and then figure out how to insert it!! Not too sure about the rhubarb and custard colour-scheme, either, but am trying it out and will live with it for a few days before playing with the template again!!

It's been so long (again) since I blogged that I won't even attempt a round-up of our activities and notable happenings of the past six weeks or so. I'm hoping to drop seamlessly into blogging again, and the aim is that it'll feel like I've never been away!

A was off to a party this afternoon, so F decided yesterday that whilst A was gone, she would like to make some 'shaped' biscuits. On further enquiry, I discovered that that meant that she wanted to be let loose with my stack of pastry cutters, so I dug out a shortbread recipe, and crossed everything that the resulting dough would be rollable and cuttable. Thankfully, it was both these things, and the results were really pleasing. It's a while since I made anything that required me to 'rub in', but I remembered that it takes cool hands and a degree of patience, both of which are sometimes in short supply in our house. Anyway, as F had decided that she wanted to make chocolate shortbread, and I prefer the plain variety, we thought we'd make a batch each, and do each step together. I was really surprised at how adept she was at the rubbing in - she persevered with it, and eventually had a lovely crumbed mixture:

We added some cocoa powder to F's mixture to give the desired chocolatey taste, and these are the fruits of our labours:

And very tasty they are, as well!! A quantity has already made its way to mum and dad's house, courtesy of my sister, who was more than happy to take a doggy bag away with her this evening.

We ended our day with a post-Dr Who impromptu photo shoot in the garden. The light wasn't great, but I still managed to get a couple of shots that I really like.

I'm not sure exactly what Ed was doing behind my back, but whatever it was, it was cause for much hilarity...still, I got my own back on him by insisting that he join the girls (and the dog!) for a few shots, as we have woefully few photos with either of us in.

I just really like this.

a new inspiration blog...

2007-06-01T09:30:00.000+01:00

A new inspiration blog launches today. Check out It's A Creative World and see work from some wonderfully talented fellow crafters. If you leave a comment for them today, you will be entered into a draw for a chance of receiving a gift voucher from Mel and Jill at A Trip Down Memory Lane - wishing you all lots of love and luck, the blog looks great!

Easter hols...

2007-04-15T21:26:00.000+01:00

We have had a fantastic Easter break from school; I really do enjoy having the girls at home, and having the freedom to do whatever we want to do without the constraints of the normal daily routine. We seem to have packed a lot into the last two weeks, so these will be edited highlights. Our Easter hols got off to a fantastic start with our three day visit to the Jewells' - I could write a v..e..r..y l..o..n..g post on how fab that was, and how much fun we had, but I'll spare you all and post just a few (!!) photos instead. Suffice it to say, the girls (all 6 of them) had a brilliant time, and Debs and I nattered about anything and everything, and well and truly put the world to rights!! We are already planning return visits in the summer...

Joss Bay, near Broadstairs, Kent, with Justine, Freya & Morgan, where we met up with Jane and Georgina. It was bl**dy freezing, but at least the kids had a chance to paddle in the sea!!

Breakfast time, chez Jewell: H, F and K, friends for life!

At Chessington: it is very hard to get six little girls to smile together on cue!!

A, slightly apprehensive, on the merry-go-round...

F, laughing to the point of near hysteria on the Bubbleworks ride!

Thanks to all the Jewells, especially to Dave for putting up with having three more females in his house for three days!!

F had a sleepover at Granny and Poppa's almost as soon as we returned from Kent, so A and I spent the day doing 'crafty' things involving plaster of Paris and copious amounts of gluing and sticking!!

Easter Saturday saw the girls egg-hunting with their cousins in Grandma and Grandad's garden:

The venue for the traditional Easter Sunday egg hunt was, for the third year in a row, Granny and Poppa's garden, and whilst I have taken many, many photos of the hunt in progress, this is my favourite shot of the day, my sister with her two nieces:

This past week has heralded a period of change in the blossom trail household; Mr Ed started a new job on Tuesday after nearly 14 years in his previous employment. He felt it was high time he moved on to pastures new, and he has had a fantastic first week, and is feeling enthused and well up for the challenges ahead!

He has been away all week, which has meant that the girls and I have been left to our own devices. The girls spent Wednesday with their cousins, again at Grandma and Grandad's, and on Thursday, my darling dad celebrated his 60th birthday. We were all (mum, dad, my sis, the girls and I) supposed to be going out for lunch, but I was struck down with what I think must have been food poisoning in the early hours of Thursday morning, and I was laid out for two days, of no use to man nor beast. I was bitterly disappointed not to be able to join in my dad's celebration, but thankfully the girls were still able to go, and I spent the day in bed feeling very sorry for myself.

This attack of the dreaded lurgy meant that I also missed out on a visit to Mr Ed's granny, to see his auntie and her three children, the youngest of whom is only a couple of years older than F. They were over visiting from San Francisco, and Ed's auntie, who is the same age as Ed and I, has insisted that we should go over for a visit. I don't need asking twice - I'm looking at flights as we *speak*!!

If you're still with me, thank you for reading this far. I've no idea how long this will be once it's uploaded, but since I seem to have been sitting here rambling for a good three-quarters of an hour, I'm guessing it won't be a short post!!

Back to school tomorrow; we've had a relatively quiet day today, cutting the lawns, getting bags ready for school, and enjoying the first barbecue of the year. I can't believe how unseasonably warm it's been the past few days - feels more like July than April...

the secret...

2007-04-01T23:45:00.000+01:00

...to photographing a still child, I have discovered today, as opposed to one who does not normally pause for breath, let alone remain still enough to take a decent photo (see yesterday's post) is to photograph said child...on the toilet!!!

Job's a good 'un!!!

Have spent most of the day making final preparations for our visit to Kent tomorrow - washing, ironing, the usual malarkey! Not sure whether I'll be able to blog from Debs' - possibly words only, not sure about photos, although I'm sure we'll take hundreds over the next couple of days.

welcome home, wellllllcome!

2007-03-31T11:24:00.000+01:00

Ahhhh, it's good to be back. I haven't actually *been* anywhere, but it's funny, the longer you leave it without making a blog post, the harder it is to come back to it. Can I even remember what I'm doing when it comes to producing an interesting, thought-provoking (?), slice-of-life-type of post? You will have to be the judge. It is far too long since the last post to even contemplate blogging the minutiae of the past *shhhh* 6 weeks, but I sneakily thought I'd get a post in today so that my archive for March wouldn't be invisible!!!

So, just a quickie this evening; the girls spent a fab couple of hours with E at the Spring/Easter Fayre at the village hall and playing field, and enjoyed face painting, egg painting, egg hunting, 'guess the number of eggs in the jar' (which F won, much to their mutual delight, and no doubt Poppa's as well, as we now have more than enough eggs for our own hunt on Easter Sunday!!), and 'guess the name of the bunny'! A couple of photos from today; when I'm not blogging I don't take nearly as many photographs as when I am, and now that the weather is so much improved, and, fingers crossed, will remain so, the camera will be coming out every day.

Not a great photo, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to get A to stay still for a photo - she seems to be on the move ALL the time!!

Miss F, quietly but determinedly finding and gathering up eggs during the hunt!

Will be back tomorrow; if you're still with me, thank you for visiting :)

half-term...

2007-02-16T21:30:00.000Z

MAMMOTH POST ALERT!!!
...has just flown by! Even with the two extra days tagged on to last week because of the snow, this week has gone really quickly. We've been busy, but not so busy that I feel frazzled and the kids zonked. So, a quick run-down:

Saturday: girls and Ed went over to grandma and grandad's and made snowmen - just realised I've already blogged this momentous occasion in last Saturday's post! I had a final rehearsal for the first Wind Band concert, which was last...

Sunday: as I've previously stated, it is NOT possible to look glamorous/attractive/sane whilst playing the clarinet, witness:

Was fantastic fun, though, and well-received by our smallish audience of mostly family and friends. We're just trying to get our younger players used to playing before an audience - it's all good practice for them, before we do the rounds of the summer fêtes this year - that's the tentative plan, anyway.

Monday: had school friend, Kathryn, over for the day with her two little girls who are 4 and 3 - got caught in the rain at the playing field, and whilst the little girls were fine because all four of them were well wrapped up in rain gear and wellies, Kathryn and I were not exactly dressed for the inclement weather, and came home looking like drowned rats. Blogging was obviously far from my mind because I didn't take a single photograph on Monday, which is unforgiveable, really, especially when I consider the infrequency with which we have all four of our girls together at the same time. Never mind...

Tuesday: we played host to F's friend D for the day; easy day, the girls all played nicely together, picnic lunch and roast chicken dinner. Perfect! Also made a Valentine card for Ed - not going to embarrass myself by posting a photo of it here, but it was very quick and easy and made use of one of my fabulous Blonde Moments stamps.

Wednesday: even easier day!! A was taken out for the day by one of her friends - play barn in the morning, and home to bake cakes in the afternoon. Her friend's dad was looking after them for the day, and he was a complete star, ferrying them about and then making chocolate cakes with them, one of which A brought home with her, still warm and dripping with melted chocolate! Upon learning that A was out for the day, mum of F's friend D invited F to their house for the best part of the day, and I was left to my own devices, putting together a birthday parcel for my swap partner at the Pad, which included making an exploding box following the excellent instructions on Anso's blog. Of course, I didn't take any photographs, and I can't say too much about it yet because the recipient's birthday isn't until next week. Popped a very belated card and pressie in the post to Kirstles - no excuse for it being late, other than that she had gallivanted off to Barcelona (see fabbo photos on her blog) for her birthday, and then mini cruise to Rotterdam, lucky girl! Made an anniversary card for ma and pa, who celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary yesterday, and a 35th birthday card for my darling cousin Daniel, who is only 5 weeks younger than me. Upon the girls' return from their days out, we dashed out to Hiller's for some last minute ingredients for a Valentine meal - we don't usually do anything much for Valentine's Day, but I thought it would be nice to have a good meal after the girls had gone to bed. Bought some freshly-made Cumberland sausages to have with a cauli and some spuds from the organic box. Picked up a few bargain bunches of daffs as well, and some little tubs of chocolate ice cream for pud.

Thursday: yesterday - A had rugby camp all day - must take a photo of her in her rugby gear because she's got all the kit now, including boots, shorts and shirt, and boy does she look the part. A couple of her classmates were also there, one of whom was in floods of tears because he didn't want his mum to go, and A just waved us off and went and got stuck in!! She is not easily fazed - she was the only girl there yesterday, amongst a pack of boys ranging in age from 5 to 9 - and she won't be 5 until a week on Monday. She is a gutsy little thing, and I am somewhat in awe of her ability to just join in and get on with things - I was a shy, retiring wallflower at her age. F and I decided that we would spend the middle part of the day doing some baking, and we settled on cupcakes, as I had this fantastic recipe book for my birthday (or was it Christmas??!!) We asked F's friend V along to help us! Here are some photos of various stages of the baking process - I hadn't realised that I'd run out of self-raising flour, so had to wing it with some plain flour and baking powder, using a bit of guess-work on the quantities!!

The naked buns...

My decorated efforts...

The girls' icing station...

Hyper on a combination of sugar and artificial colouring...!!!

Yesterday also brought a lovely surprise for me in the post in the form of my Valentine parcel from the SOSF Valentine swap. My swap partner, Carol, whose blog is here, included some gorgeous chocolate treats of the mint/choc AND luxury dark choc assortment varieties, together with some chocolate covered sunflower seed kernels which lasted all of about five minutes, some chocolate mini cookies, and a super musical mug filled with tootsie rolls - I have always wondered what a tootsie roll was, having heard a reference to them in an American film (of course I can't remember which film) and now I know!! They are a sort of chocolate-flavoured bite-sized toffee confection, and are delish!! Thanks for everything, Carol - it was beautifully wrapped, and all much appreciated.

Friday: today has been spent with just F, as A has gone for a sleepover at granny and poppa's house, lucky girl. F and I have had quite a quiet day, and the highlight for her was having a big hand in the preparation of our spaghetti bolognese supper. She has learned how to chop an onion, use the garlic crusher, tell when the meat has browned, add the tomatoes, herbs and Worcestershire sauce, and serve up the spaghetti and bolognese sauce. She wants to have regular cookery lessons, and I am all in favour!

Wishing you all a great weekend.

snowy week!

2007-02-10T17:49:00.000Z

Phew! It's nearly all gone now, but we've had a fair old dump of snow this week, along with a good proportion of the rest of the country. It meant that the girls have had an extra two days tagged on to their half-term holiday next week, not that I'm complaining about that, it's been lovely to have them at home. Ask me whether I'm still feeling like this a week tomorrow!!! They've had great fun out in the snow, building snowmen and throwing snowballs to their hearts' content. I did venture out briefly to take some photos, but the novelty soon wore off, and the colder my feet got, the more I wanted to be back in the warm!!

This was Snowman Mark I and was made without any help in our back garden.

A's Mark II version, made with a little assistance in Grandma and Grandad's garden.

F's Mark II version, again, in Grandma and Grandad's garden.

The promise of a day off from school yesterday brought a request for a sleepover on Thursday evening - not to have a friend to stay, just for F to be allowed to sleep in A's room! We didn't think there was much chance of them lasting longer than about half an hour because we thought they would keep each other awake. They knew that if there was any nonsense, F would be moved back to her room, and this was the sight that greeted us when we checked on them, all appearing to be quiet:

They were so good we let them do the same last night, although this time in F's bedroom!!!

Was relieved to read that my SOSF Valentine parcel arrived safely with Sarah - it's always a bit of a worry sending stuff off across the pond, but thankfully it arrived in good time, and was well received.

And finally, for now, a layout. I have been a very infrequent scrapper of late, but have done a layout for my UKScrappers team's forthcoming weekly challenge, which I believe will be posted on the UKS home page from Monday, for a week. As it is Valentine's week, we decided that the theme was to be based around 'love' and had to include hearts and at least four different patterned paper scraps - no breaking into new sheets!! I had a short deadline, so stuck to a very simple design, and added text to the photo in Photoshop to save time.

Happy blogging!

photos, and some crafting...

2007-02-01T16:12:00.000Z

So, I decided I was going to have a bit of a play/experiment today, and made these fabric brooches, which I'm actually quite pleased with. I've got five more ready to make up, but I've run out of brooch pins, so I'm just going to have to wait to finish them. Any constructive criticism would be very gratefully received!

In other news (!!), A shares a birthday at the end of Feb with her classmate, B - so yesterday, I photographed the two of them for the invitations for their joint party - what a hoot!! The theme of their party is 'princesses and pirates', hence the headgear, and they were laughing so much I just kept on snapping. They then proceeded to laugh even more on reviewing the photos I'd taken. I let them choose their favourite for the invitation, and this was the one they chose:

I then spent a not inconsiderable amount of time last night making their invitations, and, big relief, they've all gone out today. Just got to worry about small things like party bags and game prizes now...

Whilst A was at a party on Saturday, F went for a walk with her daddy and the dog, and E managed to get some very moody photographs - the sky was a superb palette of greys and blues, although the greys are dominant in this photo:

Love the contrast with the earthy tones of the field.

tagged - six weird things

2007-01-27T20:58:00.000Z

I have been tagged by Gretel and have to divulge six weird things about me; I'll be honest, I'm struggling, and partly because one person's idea of weird might be another person's everyday normality. So bear with me for a sec, whilst I try and dredge up some vaguely interesting, if not necessarily that weird facts about moi...

1. I can turn my tongue right over - there are no real practical benefits in being able to do this, but it does freak out the children.

2. I have one leg (the left one) shorter than the other - I was born with dislocated hips, which lead to a leg length discrepancy, and after a couple of operations as a child the difference is no where near as great as it was. I still walk with a limp, though. And I have two fabulous scars, that look like fat centipedes, one on each hip. Also great for freaking out children.

3. I can tie a knot in a cherry stalk with my tongue, à la Audrey Horne in Twin Peaks - I'm not sure whether this is too closely related to weird thing number 1 to count as a separate item, but since it's my blog and I write the rules, AND I'm struggling for weirdness, it'll have to do!

4. My home is either really, really tidy, or really, really messy - there is no happy medium. I am at my most content after a good clean through - mess makes me low, but I find it a constant battle to try and stay tidy. I'm sure I'm not alone in this...

5. I don't like hotels. Even really 'nice' ones. I would much rather be at home. I find being in a hotel, even with people I love, a very isolating experience, and I am always itching to get back home.

6. I am pedantic about spelling and grammar to the point of being anally retentive, bit I freely admit it, and I try not to let it affect my daily life too much!!! And I realise that by posting this I am laying myself wide open to criticism from other grammar pedants/enthusiasts, but so be it...!!!

There, that wasn't so bad, but I don't know how weird any of the above could be classed as being. I have, in the spirit of these blessed things, to tag six lovely fellow bloggers, so I'm tagging Debbie, Fiona, Sue, Maria, Kirsty and Rena :) - sorry dolls, I don't know if any of you have already been tagged - don't feel obliged!!

dolly beads!

2007-01-26T16:32:00.000Z

This is my lovely new bead and necklace, which arrived this morning from Jaq - she has just started making Dolly Beads, and they are going down a storm! I am on the lookout for a turquoise one, and a turquoise and pink combo, but for the time being I am very happy with my little pink bead.

More later!

impromptu photo shoot!!

2007-01-24T22:40:00.000Z

Not really a photo shoot, but I've realised that when we can't get outside as regularly at this time of year as we do in the spring/summer time, I don't take nearly as many photographs, and I'm going to try and remedy that, because I don't want there to be chunks of time with no photographic representation. I called an impromptu photo shoot in A's room this afternoon after school, and got an enthusiastic response, which isn't always guaranteed!! The girls are used to me sticking a camera in front of them, and most of the time they're prepared to be photographed, but occasionally they're just not in the mood, and really, who can blame them?! A was reluctant to let go of her sucky this afternoon, grubby old thing that it is:

She was quite prepared to pose with it, though!!

F was all smiles and grins this afternoon; she is enjoying school very much at the moment - long may it continue - and came home today full of enthusiasm about Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole. Her teacher this year is absolutely fantastic, and seems to fire the children's imagination at every turn. F is a different child this year, and it really shows.

We decided, the three of us girls this evening, that, as it is so cold and dark outside, we would have a carpet picnic for the girls' tea. Now that they are having a hot meal at school at lunchtime, a new departure this term, they don't seem to need as much in the evenings, so today's offering was a very healthy plate of olives, red and yellow peppers, carrot sticks, tomatoes, apple, cheese and hard boiled eggs, cut into quarters. They wolfed it down - I wish I'd taken a 'before' and 'after' photo, because I thought I'd done too much, but it all disappeared!

I leave you this evening with a fave from today, taken on A's bed, mid-loon!!

Night, all!

a quick catch-up!

2007-01-23T22:32:00.000Z

Quick round-up of what we've been up to over the past week; time has run away with me YET again, and I haven't updated as regularly as I'd intended to. Where does the time go - answers on a postcard, please.

Freya had a voucher for Borders which had been burning a hole in her pocket since her birthday last August (!), so she and I had a day out on Saturday, and drove to Oxford which, from here, is a beautiful route down through Moreton-in-Marsh and Chipping Norton. She and I rarely have a day out together alone, and it was lovely to have a bit of quality one-on-one with her. Anja, in turn, had a fab day having daddy all to herself, and had a birthday party to go to as an added bonus. I didn't take the camera with me, but took a couple of photos on my phone, although the quality is pretty poo! Freya still finds real novelty value in any journey on a bus, and she was, yet again, in 7th heaven on the short journey from the Park-and-Ride car park into Oxford!!

I don't know whether I've blogged about it before, but Freya is extremely considered when it comes to making choices when she's spending her money. She takes ages to decide what she'd like, and as her voucher was for a whopping £20, it took us some time in Borders before we were ready to go to the till!! It also meant that I had to keep a running total in my head each time something else went into the basket, which was no easy thing when she was choosing items costing anything from 35p up to £3.99. She came away with a fantastic haul, including another Jewel Fairy book, a skipping rope, a whoopee cushion, a rubber ball, and other items too numerous to mention (and that I can't remember!!) By the time she'd chosen everything she wanted, and I'd done some shopping for birthday presents, and spent some of Anja's pocket money for her (on her instruction - a Horrid Henry audio book and book to read), it was time for a bite to eat. Naturally, we had to stay in Borders and pay a trip to Starbucks - this was Freya's day, and this was what she wanted to do - who am I to argue... She went up to the counter whilst I stayed with the bags, and selected a prawn and watercress sandwich, giant chocolate chip cookie, and a hot chocolate for herself - what can I say, the child has great taste!! This IS as big as it looks:

It was yum!! Chocolate moustaches and sticky fingers all round...a lovely day out.

The girls were treated by my sister to a trip to the Snow Dome at Tamworth on Sunday; they had their first skiing lesson, and had a mess around on the little slope, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I should point out that I have an aversion to snow, and have absolutely no intention of taking them skiing, but my sis and Ed are both keen winter sports enthusiasts, Sian a skier, and Ed a snowboarder, and they would love to get the kids involved. I'm not even interested in the apres ski, so I think they might be holidaying without me!!! Sian plans to go to Whistler next winter, and I think Ed is harbouring ambitions to join her for a week or so, with the childers. I will have to find something else to do...

Am going to go on a blog trawl tomorrow morning, to catch up on my favourite reads, and to tweak my 'links' section; even in the short time since I started this blog last August, several of the links have fallen away, and some blogs that I read regularly need to be added.

Toodle-pip!

holding out for a hero - lovin' Shrek!!

2007-01-16T08:18:00.000Z

a quick jaunt around YouTube...

2007-01-14T14:50:00.000Z

The main purpose of this post is to see whether I have worked out how to insert a YouTube broadcast into a blog entry - mundane, I know, but having spent FAR too much time last night hopping around YouTube, it occurred to me that, in keeping with several fellow bloggers, if I find any gems I ought to share them. The first offering is a piece that began doing the rounds ages ago, and I'm sure most people will already have seen it, but if it's been a while, it certainly stands up to a second viewing. Evolution of Dance:

Yay! Just looked at the preview, and it appears to be working!! OK, indulge me a second while I just post a few more. Once the novelty has worn off, I promise I'll limit the amount I post - you are not, of course, obliged to click on any of the links!! Real life Simpsons intro:

I know this is juvenile, nay infantile in the extreme, but I miss this:

And finally, for today, some ER out-takes:

More inconsequential ramblings later today, with a proper catch-up and some photographs!!

a lovely birthday...

2007-01-04T21:49:00.000Z

I have had a really lovely day, and am now quite ready for my bed!! In all the excitement of card and present opening this morning, I was late getting the girls to school for their first day back, but neither of them seemed remotely bothered, and remarkably, F went in without a backwards glance. I had been prepared for clinging and whimpering, but birthday good feeling must have prevailed!!

I have been spoiled rotten - a very nice feeling!! Ed has bought tickets for us to see Mamma Mia in the West End in March - front row seats in the circle, which should be tremendous. I haven't seen it yet - must be one of the few children of the 70's/80's who has yet to see it - and he couldn't have chosen a better gift. To say I am thrilled is an understatement. Had some of my fave perfume, a beautiful necklace off two of my friends, some great reading material, and some fab scrapbook stash. Was particularly delighted with this gorgeous hand-made envelope file, sent to me by Caz, my birthday swap partner at the Pad:

The tag reads: "Dear Jo, A little album for you to fill with you 2007 memories" - thank you, Caz - I will treasure it.

My favourite card has to be this one, made by F, having raided my stash:

It's not a great picture because the light wasn't very good, but there is lots of glitter glue, some squishy embellishments, and the dots at the bottom spell 'love', although you can't see the red ones against the card in the photo!!

Tonight, Ed has cooked steak, chips, peas and mushrooms - nothing fancy, but just what I fancied, and he has now just made me a huge mug of hot chocolate complete with some sinful squirty cream!!! A perfect end to a jolly good day!

Night, all :)

short-haired daughter, and the eve of my 35th...

2007-01-03T13:37:00.000Z

...birthday!!! Yes, tomorrow I will be 'celebrating' my 35th birthday. Still don't really feel grown up - I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or not. I have no idea what I'm getting for my birthday - Ed has been suspiciously silent on the subject, and hasn't asked for any ideas.

Onto something completely different, and the news that A finally has the short hair cut that she had been nagging me about for ages - I took her to my hairdresser just before Christmas, and after we'd both counselled her extensively, and had assurances from her that yes, this really was what she wanted, he went for the chop!! She is delighted with the outcome; a couple of days before, she went to a birthday party, and had asked me to try and make her hair into a 'boy' style; this was the best I could do - not a great effort, but her hair was too long to do much else:

Not terribly impressed, as you can probably tell!!!

Anyway, this is 'after', and I still don't think she could look less like a boy, but she is very pleased with it, as are we, and I think it suits her:

I had made a search of the internet before going to the hairdresser, having it in mind to take along some photos of little girls with similar styles so that Stephen would have some idea as to what she wanted. It appears that, amongst little girls of A's age, having such short hair is virtually unheard of. Indeed, one of the mums at school asked me (jokingly) whether she'd had head lice and I just couldn't be bothered to deal with them!!! And several people have said "is that what she wanted?" - no, I am a cruel mother, who is happy for one daughter to have long hair, but not the other... I ask you! Anyway, we are happily indulging the 'boy' phase at the moment; I have tried explaining to her that there is nothing a boy can do that a girl can't do (with the possible exception of peeing standing up - but I don't want to put that into her head...), and that there is, therefore, no need to be a boy, but she is adamant that that is what she wants to be. A boy called George.

Will leave you with this photo of A, Rudi and F, taken a couple of days ago in front of a roaring fire. I am very pleased to report that, despite having been quite poorly in the week before Christmas, Rudi is now fighting fit, and her legs, whilst not quite back to their old selves, are certainly a lot more useful than they were. She almost has a spring in her step again.

quick catch-up - more tomorrow!

2007-01-02T23:54:00.000Z

Just one of the gems I should have posted over Christmas but didn't - A in her first nativity...playing an angel, most miffed, but ended up having a great time. She thoroughly enjoyed the experience, sang her heart out, did all the actions with much gusto, and beamed throughout. F, on the other hand, missed the Christmas production due to illness for the second year in a row :( - must try for better next year. She's just so susceptible to ear/nose/throat-related infections. Back for more tomorrow - need my beauty sleep!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2007-01-01T01:16:00.000Z

Can I remember how to blog??!! Sheesh, I'm sorry I've been AWOL again; I'm hoping it won't happen again. Just been a tad busy with all the lead-up to Christmas, and then the festivities themselves that blogging has gone by the wayside. Just wanted to pop in now to wish you all a very happy new year - who knows what 2007 will bring? I haven't made any resolutions, but I do have certain goals that I am going to keep to myself for the time being - nothing major, and probably nothing life-changing, just a few things to keep me on track! Just a short post for tonight - need my beauty sleep, but I'll be back tomorrow with some photos from over the festive period, and maybe a word or two about some of things Father Christmas left for me!!

costumes...

2006-12-03T23:13:00.000Z

I have spent all evening turning one of mum's beautiful jewelled scarves into a cloak for a Wise Man which, together with the "brightly coloured plain top, and black or brown (we have gone for black) trousers" will complete F's costume for the Christmas play, 'jesus@bethlehemstable.com' - A is taking part in the same production and, much to her disgust, has been cast as an angel. Her class has been divided along gender lines, the boys playing stars, and the girls, angels. Naturally, A wanted to be a star... To appease her, I have managed to borrow an angel costume which is much more tabard than dress, AND has a silver star on the front, and she looks VERY cute all togged up. I will, of course, be taking photos - the performances are next week.

My sis came for lunch today, and I completely forgot to get the camera out - duh! She entertained (or was entertained by!) the girls whilst I went to band practice this afternoon, as Ed had some stinky work work to do. He's just packing up his laptop as I write...too much at the weekend.

Have also made a sweet potato and pumpkin soup this evening, in between stitches, in preparation for a visit tomorrow from one of my scrapping friends. juliab (formerly Jay Jay) on UKS has been visiting a very good friend of hers who lives in the same village, and so she is going to come for lunch tomorrow on her way home. Looking forward very much to seeing her.

As promised, another of my favourite carols, for your enjoyment:

Peace out, dudes!!

Christmas carols

2006-12-02T22:15:00.000Z

So, advent has begun, and at lunchtime today, the Wychavon Student Wind Band had its first public outing, playing outside the church Christmas fayre for an hour and a half. It was really good fun, and I had forgotten how much of a buzz I get from playing in a group, in public. Here is the evidence - note, it is impossible to look remotely cool or attractive whilst playing the clarinet!!!

I am hopelessly ill-prepared for Christmas, thus far. I have not bought a single present, and I have yet to shop for Ed's birthday on December 12th. I'm not worrying about it, though - it will all come together, I'm sure.

Managed to collect my sis from the airport on Friday without delay or incident. It is fantastic to have her back at home; she is coming over for lunch tomorrow, so I will have to take some crafty shots of her to blog tomorrow evening!!

Just about to make another couple of carrot cakes, one for us and one for wind band rehearsal tomorrow afternoon. I'm taking bets on how long we'll last before we're well and truly sick of it - everyone's enjoying it at the moment, but I might have to start spicing up the recipe with some secret ingredients.

Anyway, every post between now and Christmas Day, I am going to try and upload a suitably seasonal picture, taken from images found on the great www. - I really liked the photo at the top, of the wreath against a pink door. Will also try and post the sheet music to a Christmas song or carol, just for fun!

normal service resumes!!

2006-11-30T22:56:00.000Z

Good evening, peeps :) - yes, I'm back, after a self-imposed absence from being online - just needed a little time away from the computer, but now I am back and raring to blog!! Just to reassure any of my buds who may have been worrying that I'd fallen into a black hole, here I am, larking about last week taking self-portraits in the mirror:

And, especially for Charlotty, a cheery photo of the little beans:

So, I feel like I've been haring around all over the place over the past couple of weeks. Have been in school a lot, performing various governor duties, been on a school trip, have cooked lots (although managed to avoid any caterpillars that may have been lurking), perfected my carrot cake (one in the oven as I type), shopped for a couple of advent swaps in which I'm taking part (yay - first parcel opening tomorrow!!), rehearsed with the wind band (playing Christmas carols at the village fête on Saturday)...I could go on - but I won't!!! BUT!!! The biggest excitement of all, and something that I haven't dared to go on about before now, because I just didn't ever think it would happen, is that my little sister, who has spent the past 6 years living in Sydney, is coming home for good tomorrow! I am collecting her from the airport tomorrow morning - her flight lands at 11.40, and we are all extremely excited! I have just about managed to keep a lid on my own emotions, for the sake of the girls, so that they didn't get too wound up, but now, knowing that I will see her in approximately 12 hours, I am beside myself!! I will try and take photos tomorrow at the airport (through a haze of salt water, prob'ly)

By way of a wonderful diversion, I spent a good chunk of the middle of the day today with another friend I've made through the www. world of blogging - I had placed an order for Christmas cards with Gretel, and since she is only 35 minutes away, I went and picked them up, rather than have them posted to me. We went for a fab walk in some of the beautiful West Oxfordshire woodland, and then came back to homemade soup, and some of my carrot cake. A perfect way to spend a late morning and early afternoon. Had I not had to rush back to collect the chicklets from school, I could have happily spent the rest of the afternoon chatting to Gretel. A good friend.

And finally, thank you for coming back - I am going to try and get round my regular reads over the next couple of days, and catch up with everyone's news.

weekend photos

2006-11-13T22:30:00.000Z

Well, this post will do exactly what it says on the tin!!! I was a lazy old blogger over the weekend - had great photos from Saturday AND Sunday, and was just too darn tired at the end of both days to blog them. Think I'll save the ones from Saturday for a rainy day (!!), but here is a small selection from yesterday afternoon, when Sue and I took our four girls (with Elizabeth in her new pushchair - no pram required!!), and one of their friends to the park in Pershore, and then to the lovely tea room in Pershore which is owned by our friend Debs, and where children are made to feel extremely welcome. It was such a lovely autumn afternoon yesterday; fresh and crisp, a dazzling sun bathing everything in sight with its cold glow. I have to start with a photo of this little cherub who, at 11 weeks old, is turning into such a little character. She is one of mellowest, most chilled out babies I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.

I love the photo opportunities available at children's playgrounds - the vibrancy of the play equipment lends so much to the end product!!

And, what could be nicer than pink lemonade and chocolate cake with your chums at the end of a gentle afternoon's play? Quite a lot, apparently; the chocolate cake was not at all well-received, and for the life of me I can't understand why. I thought it was delicious!! Debs has a wonderful selection of organic cake, but I treated myself to a slice of white chocolate and Amaretto ganache, which was absolutely delish.

Before I finish this post, I'm just going to post a photo of the home-made pizza my lovely hub made on Saturday night; he makes it all from scratch, including the pastry for the base, and it is the best pizza I have tasted: witness - anchovies, bacon, green and black olives, tomatoes and cheese - FABULOUS!!

chicken stock...

2006-11-11T00:40:00.000Z

...STINKS!!! Seriously, I have just, for the first time, made a pan of proper chicken stock using the bones and carcass left over from our roast this evening, and it whiffs. It's not a totally unpleasant smell, but it hangs heavy in the old nasal passages!! I have been poring over Lindsey Bareham's 'A Celebration of Soup', and many of the recipes advocate, nay insist on the use of proper stock as the basis for the soups. I know it makes sense, but it doesn't half pong!!! (That's a technical term, by the way...)

Just a short post tonight; it's way past midnight, and I should be tucked up in bed.

alternative Christmas giving

2006-11-08T22:42:00.000Z

We've done this for the past few years with some of the people for whom we buy gifts; it's not for everyone, and although I would be quite happy if all of the gifts I received were alternative, I understand that some people like to have a present for themselves at Christmas!! Anyway, although I'm sure all of my regular readers will already be aware of alternative giving, I just thought I'd post details of a few of the different sites where life-giving, alternative gifts can be purchased. I had fun trying to explain to my (now) 95 year-old grandparents why I had 'bought' them a goat a couple of years ago. I think they got it!!!

*Click on the name of the organisation to be taken to their site*

Oxfam

World Vision

Unicef

Life-giving Gifts

Christian Aid

Save the Children

Practical Presents

The gifts that keep on giving - peace out, people!!

new beds!

2006-11-06T22:37:00.000Z

There was, indeed, great excitement yesterday afternoon upon the girls' return from grandma and grandad's house; Ed and I had worked very hard to assemble their new beds and get the rooms tidy, but these jobs always take longer than you think they're going to. Anyway, the girls had chosen their own bedding from the IKEA catalogue:

Both sets are really lovely; there are quirky little details, like mice peeping out, or the odd dragonfly here and there. Needless to say, the girls love them, which is the main thing. This is the corner of F's bedroom where the new bed is:

And, similarly, A's bedroom:
You can't see it, but to the right of A's bed there is a leaf like this one, the tip of which hangs over the end where she sleeps.

We don't think we've ever seen them as excited as they were yesterday; I wish I could bottle that excitement and enthusiasm. There is a dragon on A's bedspread, and she now wishes to be addressed as 'Prince George'.

F is Princess Rose...

The rooms aren't finished; we need to paint the walls and do a bit of rearranging, and I want to get lights for the play area underneath the beds, but for the time being, I'm pretty pleased with how they've turned out!

fireworks and glow sticks!

2006-11-04T23:23:00.000Z

*not taken by me!!* Taken from here

Had a great evening at the village firework display last night; it was very fresh, but we wrapped up, and, apart from the feet getting a little numb from standing still watching the fireworks, we were just fine. The girls had a fantastic time, running around with their friends, munching on hotdogs, and waving glow sticks: glow sticks are the new sparklers. Sparklers were strictly off-limits, but in all honesty, the kids seemed to have just as much fun with the glow sticks, without the attendant hazards of burnt fingers and pokes in the eye. My efforts at photographing the fireworks were woeful, and certainly not good enough to share!! I take my hat off to photographers of fireworks - it is no mean feat!!

Anyway, here are a couple of shots from last night, wide eyes and cold cheeks!

Ed and I sampled the joys of IKEA this evening; the girls are at grandma and grandad's for the night, and we have rearranged their rooms with new cabin beds, and canopies over. Freya's is a sort of princess theme, and Anja's is more knights and nature - it's what she wanted!! They won't be properly finished until we give each room a lick of paint, but I think we've done enough to guarantee two very excited little girls upon their return tomorrow. Can't wait to see their faces!!

cold and frosty morning

2006-11-02T21:48:00.000Z

Brrrrr. This post is especially for my ma and pa, who yesterday jetted off to Australia for a month. It is literally freezing here now - you got away just in time!!! This morning, the grass was crunchy, the breath hung heavy in the air, and everything was crisp and bitingly fresh. Quite exhilarating, actually, but bl**dy cold!! We had to break out the hats, scarves and gloves from their box in the garage - I was impressed at how easy it was to put my hands on a full set: I must be getting tidier in my old age!

Crunching patterns in the grass was a lot of fun, although it meant that A went to school with damp feet, and blowing warm breath in to the cold air was a novelty. If you look really hard, you can just about see the breath!

Forgot to say yesterday that we took delivery of our first organic fruit and veg box, and it was absolutely brill. Potatoes, leeks, celeriac, carrots, savoy cabbage, winter salad leaves, a cucumber, tomatoes, onions, a yellow pepper, mushrooms, apples, oranges and bananas. I am sure it is enough for a week; I have the option to order 'extras' of all sorts of things, so I may add in some more potatoes, but I'll see how we get on with our first lot. It's very exciting, and is making me think a lot more about what I cook.

all things pumpkin!

2006-11-01T22:38:00.000Z

As promised, all manner of pumpkin-related treats from yesterday.

The morning saw me run out, on impulse, to buy a pumpkin to make some soup; A and I had the afternoon to ourselves, as F was being collected from school by Victoria's mummy, before their modern dance lesson. A usually likes to muck in in the kitchen, and I knew she'd enjoy being my assistant for a spot of flesh gouging (the pumpkin, not ours!!) Shock horror, our local farm shop was all out of pumpkins, so I was forced to drive about 3 miles to the next nearest farm shop, where there were not only some beautiful pumpkin specimens, but also some too-tempting squash, so I bought a couple of small pumpkins, and squash of the butternut, ambernut and spaghetti varieties, as seen above.

I prefer to roast my pumpkin for soup, rather than chopping it up and boiling it. You get less wastage with roasting, because the flesh just slides away from the skin, it's so soft, and I also firmly believe that it's much tastier to roast, than to boil all the flavour out of it. Just a personal preference, though. Anyway, I cut both pumpkins in half, scooped out the seeds and stringy bits, and then put the halves face down, i.e. cut side down on a baking tray lined with foil doused with olive oil. Roasted on a moderate heat for 45 minutes until it was lovely and squashy, and then just left it, skin still on, until the afternoon when A and I were ready to continue.

When we got home from school, it was straight into the kitchen to get our hands dirty!! This is the fun part! We had to scoop the soft roasted flesh away from the skin, using spoons, hands - whatever!

It was a messy, but satisfying job:

The flesh then went into the blender, along with a couple of potatoes which had been peeled, diced and gently boiled until soft in some vegetable stock with a pinch of saffron and a crushed clove of garlic. It was all whizzed together, returned to a big pot on the stove for a generous slosh of single cream, and then brought to the boil (but only just) to warm it through. Put into bowls with a swirl of cream and a twist of salt and pepper to finish it off, and it was absolutely deeee-licious!!!

And finally, from yesterday, our ever-so-scary window decoration which failed to deter the trick-or-treaters!! Carved by the girls, with grandad, on Sunday:

too tired...

2006-10-31T23:11:00.000Z

...to blog!!

Check in tomorrow for Halloween photos galore: carved pumpkins and step-by-step roast pumpkin soup!!

Sweet dreams, all!

Society of Secret Fairies

2006-10-30T23:04:00.000Z

After following a link on Gretel's blog, I signed up for the inaugural parcel exchange of the Society of Secret Fairies. The parcel I put together is currently mid-Atlantic, winging its way to Terri at Tinker Art but, joy of joys, my parcel from Terri arrived this morning. Even the envelope made me feel all warm and fuzzy - isn't this delightful:

And Terri put together such a lovely selection of goodies, all right up my street, and things I would have chosen for myself, including some scrapbook stash, and four eminently lickable toffee lollipops!!

I know that photo isn't great, but it was the best I could laying down on the floor trying to get it all in with no mess in the background!! The absolute pièce de résistance, however, is this gorgeous bracelet, in pinks and bronzes with flashes of gold, which went straight on to my wrist and is likely to stay there for the duration. It is so me, and I adore it.

So thank you, Terri - you have spread some fairy goodness, and I feel very happy!

autumnal fare...extra protein

2006-10-29T23:51:00.000Z

*scroll down slowly - do not read the end first!!!*

Ed came back from his mum and dad's today with some absolutely gorgeous ruby chard; I've never cooked chard before, and it had been plucked straight out of his mum's vegetable garden, so I thought I'd use it tonight whilst it was still beautifully fresh. I consulted my vegetable oracle, Sophie Grigson's 'Eat Your Greens' for a suitable recipe, and came across this:

Lovely, I thought. That will be just the job. I only had single cream in, but that would have to do. The chard looked so glossy and fresh that I thought it would be a shame not to photograph it to share, so here are a couple of pics of the raw stuff:

Isn't it pretty?!!

Anyway, I diligently followed the recipe, and when it was finished, although most of the vibrancy had been cooked out, it still looked (and smelled) fairly delicious. I'm going to hold off posting a photo of the finished dish for just a moment, whilst I tell you that the eating did not disappoint; both Ed and I cleaned our plates, resolved to eat chard more often (which we may end up doing on a fairly regular basis, as I think it may be a staple in our veg box over the winter months), and Ed tried to phone his mum to tell her what a hit it had been, but their phone was engaged. And now, here comes the rub. It wasn't until about half an hour ago when I was merrily cropping and re-sizing my photos to share with you, that I happened upon the reality of the extra protein. Here, in all it's glory, is my plate, just served, ready for me to enjoy, which I duly did, and, as already mentioned, I cleaned my plate:

Looks OK? Quite tasty? Not as great as the uncooked stuff, but still not bad? Look a little closer...can you see, towards the right-hand side of the plate, where the chard meets the rice, a sort of pale greenish bit of something. I noticed this when I was re-sizing the photo, and immediately thought, "hang on, that looks a bit like a caterpillar - I'll blow up the photo to reassure myself that it's just a rogue piece of chard stem, masquerading as a caterpillar..." This is what I saw:

Is there anyone out there in blogland who doesn't think this looks like a caterpillar??!!!

Sweet dreams, all :)

beaded beauty!

2006-10-28T10:19:00.000+01:00

Yesterday morning, F went to play with one of her friends, so A and I needed something to do to occupy our time. The day before, A had found a hair beading kit given to F for one of her birthdays, some time ago, which we'd looked at, put away, and forgotten about. Anyway, we decided we'd give it a whirl, since one of A's best friends at school, Ben, is half-Jamaican and often has beads in his sweet little locks. Ever the sceptic, I didn't think it would work very well, as A's hair is very fine, and my experience of kits like this is that the pictures on the box paint a misleadlingly optimistic picture of how easy it is going to be to do, and how good the results are going to be!! I have to confess to being pleasantly surprised; it was dead easy to do, and the results weren't at all bad! A was absolutely delighted, and kept going to check on the overall 'look' after the addition of each string of beads. Of course, she now wants me to put them in for school on Monday; not sure how well that will go down! Just a few photos from yesterday:

Have a great weekend, all!

organic food boxes

2006-10-26T20:30:00.000+01:00

OK, so I closed yesterday's post with the news (!!) that I have just signed us up for an organic veg/fruit box delivery scheme. I have been reading an awful lot lately around the subject of food miles, and the impact upon the environment of flying/shipping in out-of-season fruit and veg. I know it's common sense, but it's not until you sit down and really look at the food you consume, and its origins, that you take note of the possible environmental consequences of certain things in your diet. So, from a starting point of, at this stage, simply trying to be more aware of what we're eating, only buying and therefore cooking seasonal produce, and trying to be just a bit more environmentally aware, I am going to be taking delivery, once a week, of a fruit box and a veg box from Flights Orchard - the first box will be delivered next Wednesday, as I was too late for this week's drop. I am going to see how I get on, but am going to try and only use fruit and veg that comes in the box. I would be really interested to hear if anyone has any experience of this sort of scheme, and also any recipes anyone has for meals made with typically autumn/winter veg - pumpkins, potatoes, leeks, kale etc. I have the Guardian's guide to seasonal eating which came with last Saturday's paper, and is extremely helpful; it's written in conjunction with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall/River Cottage, but it's thin on recipes.

In other news, we spent a happy hour or so at the playing field with Vic and little Miss Elizabeth; all was well until F took a crashing tumble off the monkey bars and scared the life out of me for a good 15 seconds. She landed on her bottom, but very heavily, and at first was saying she couldn't move. Thankfully, I think it was just the shock, because she was soon on her feet again, although she was terribly pale for a good half-hour afterwards.

A was her usual charge-about self; she insists on jumping in every muddy puddle we come across, and, predictably, was filthy by the time we returned home. Note the layered look: Umbro football shorts over short trousers.

I will leave you this evening with a shot of the three monkeys on the climbing frame. They had a grand day!

good to be back!

2006-10-25T16:11:00.000+01:00

Goodness, it feels like I've been away from blogland for days, when in fact it was only last Friday - which, I suppose, is five days, but it seems like a lot longer. We had an enjoyable, but very wet weekend in Brighton with my SIL, BIL and our two nephews. I love Brighton when the sun's shining; this weekend it was dull, grey, cold and decidedly miserable-looking!! Just as we were leaving on Monday morning, the sun came out...typical! Anyway, we spent Saturday afternoon at the leisure centre at Burgess Hill, plummeting down the water slides and generally messing about in the water. The children had a wonderful time; I was ever-conscious of the fact that, having shoe-horned myself into my bathing costume, there was always the chance that some part of my ample person was going to pop out at an inopportune moment. It detracted from my enjoyment slightly. We spent Sunday having a roast dinner at a pub on the Marina, followed by a highly competitive game of ten-pin bowling - with eight of us playing, it took ages to complete just the one game. F was ahead for the duration, her lead only threatened at the last minute by her daddy, who was making a storming comeback...until I promised him I'd kick him in the shins if he overtook her. He gallantly muffed his last two bowls, and she won by one point!! She was none the wiser. I came last.

Because the weather was so appalling, we didn't take many photographs. There were no opportunities to get the children outside, so the few that we did take were in the house where, of course, the lighting wasn't brilliant.

F and her elder cousin, J - kindred spirits, gentle and calm.

A, looking decidedly strawberry blonde!

I'm just off now to catch up with all of my regular blog reads, which have been neglected since the end of last week. We're enjoying a quiet half-term, here on the blossom trail; I have just signed up to an organic veg/fruit box delivery scheme, but more of that tomorrow...

more halloween shenanigans

2006-10-20T19:24:00.000+01:00

Specifically, the annual Halloween Disco at school, which, as you can imagine, was a cause for great excitement as we got ready this evening. The girls are there at the moment - they were collected by the mum of one of F's friends, and I've just had a call from her to say that they all went in without a backwards glance! Such a relief. I took F to the same event two years ago when she was in Reception, and it was purgatory; she wouldn't let me go, nor would she dance/join in/detach herself from my side. I don't think either of us enjoyed it - I certainly didn't - and she hasn't been to a school disco since. She was SO up for it this evening, though; and I think the fact that her 4 year-old sister is clearly quite matter-of-fact about such things is a bonus.

...much pinkness, of course...

...very scary little witch...

And I post this, especially for Kirsty, just because of the expression on A's face, which I know will warm the cockles of Kirsty's heart!! Hope you're feeling better after your extraction yesterday, honey...

It's possible that 'on the blossom trail' may be on a brief hiatus over the weekend, depending upon the availability of internet facilities at my sister-in-law's; needless to say that if I can't post until Monday, I will be back with a wealth of photographs with which to ~~bore~~ delight you!!

girls' night in

2006-10-19T23:35:00.000+01:00

Ahhhh, catching up with an old friend... Have spent a lovely evening with my friend from school, Beck, who has come up from Wiltshire to stay with us for the night. We've had a proper girls' night in - take-away (tandoori king prawns - yum!), good telly (of which more in a mo) and easy chat. Beck and I have been friends since we started high school, pretty much, way, way back in 1983 *gulp* We have the sort of easy friendship where we can go a few months with absolutely no contact at all, and then pick up where we left off with no difficulty whatsoever. I blogged last month about our visit to Beck's for her Indian Summer party; she is a wonderful host and throws fantastic parties with amazing gourmet treats. I always feel as though she is slumming it when she comes to stay with us, because my cuisine just does not measure up!! Anyway, I took the easy option this evening, and had dinner delivered!

So, we watched the final episode in the current series of 'Extras' - what an absolute hoot this second series has been. I have found it both pant-wettingly, laugh-out-loud funny, and excruciatingly, head-under-the-covers cringeworthy - sheer brilliance! I will be first in line for the DVD when it is released, which will surely be this side of Christmas.

...genius...

We then watched, at Beck's insistence, the second half of 'Ladette to Lady' - I'm not sure whether I approve of the premise, which seems to be to turn the spirited, lively, admittedly somewhat potty-mouthed 'ladettes' into 'ladies', by a process of (mostly) humiliation and ~~constructive~~ criticism. It's the final episode next week, which sees the contestants attempting to fool a panel of 'debutantes' (puh-lease) into believing they are 'one of them'. I don't know whether or not I'll be watching.

Next on my viewing agenda was 'Scrubs' - I just love the soft, quirky humour of this show. I find it a tonic - it's like someone is gently stroking your head for half an hour!

Thursday, 10pm, E4+1

And finally, the joy that is 'Kath & Kim'. This is one of my all-time favourite shows; again, it's gentle, harmless humour, but it's 'isterically funny!!

That was my night, bloggers; hope you've all had a good one!

the simplest of things...

2006-10-17T22:10:00.000+01:00

A beautiful card arrived this morning, bearing the image of this gorgeous creature, 'lilac elephant', from Gretel, the illustrator herself. It brought a smile to my face because a) it is so rare to get a good, old-fashioned piece of handwritten mail these days, especially one you're not expecting, and b) I am gushy and adoring of Gretel's work to the point of sycophancy. I happened upon her blog a little while ago, and we have discovered that we aren't that far from one another, geographically, and have therefore extended an open invitation for a drop-in for a cuppa!! If you're looking for something a little different in the Christmas card stakes, check out these beauties - they are top of my must-have list! Thank you, Gretel - I anticipate being in the vicinity very soon - get the kettle on, and I'll bring the cake!!

halloween come early

2006-10-16T22:09:00.000+01:00

It was the last session of Rainbows before half-term tonight, and there isn't a meeting the first Monday that the children are back at school, so this was the night for their Halloween party - ooooohhhhh, the excitement!!! I got F and her friend ready (much to the disgust of A, who won't be 5 until February, and therefore not eligible to join Rainbows at the moment...) amid much speculation as to exactly what their friends might be wearing. I picked up F's outfit at Tesco for the bargain price of £8, to include a fabulous wig - I didn't think that was too bad... Anyway, here they are, in their finery, waiting to be collected. Apologies for the pixellated faces again, it's too late to ring and ask these mums for their permission to publish.

And here, with another two of their friends, just as they were about to leave:

Don't they look great!! That gorgeous little minx in blue is baby Miss E's big sister - she is a star, and has been absolutely brilliant since their new arrival joined them in August. Anyway, they all had a great time at the party, and will do it all again on Friday for the school's Halloween disco - yippee!

I am steeling myself for a battle with bureaucracy tomorrow; I have just been to a meeting of a sub-committee of the school's governing body, which is trying to halt the proposed termination of a free bus service for some of our pupils in an outlying rural area. The County Council has, in its infinite wisdom, decided that this is a suitable route for the children to walk to school, and is currently going through the motions of a consultation process. I believe that there have been some significant procedural defects in the way the Council has conducted its business, and I have been nominated to speak to the contact at the Council to ascertain the correct procedure, and see if we can buy a bit more time. I will not, of course, be suggesting to this person that we believe there has been a defect in the procedure, but I need something concrete in terms of the Council's policy for consultation before we can put something in writing to them to support our case. This is the sort of thing I LOVE doing; it takes me back to my days as a lawyer. I know it sounds terminally boring, but it floats my boat!!! If you're still with me, well done! I'll keep you posted...

country life!

2006-10-15T20:46:00.000+01:00

Yes, I know it's a type of butter - can you still get Country Life? It had an annoying little accompanying ditty, didn't it? If anyone can remember the lyrics, I'd be delighted to read them!!! Anyway, I digress...

So, it seems you all like your chocolate; thank you to everyone who left a comment on the last post; the response was quite overwhelming, and I enjoyed reading about everyone's faves. Quite diverse, they were.

We've had a fun, relaxing weekend with old friends. My friend Rob, who I met in my first week at university (15 years ago - eek!), and his girlfriend, Jo, came down for the night, and we just ate, chatted, drank, and Rob and Jo entertained the girls (or possibly it was the other way round!) Jo was even happy to let F play hairdresser on her beautifully coiffured and straightened hair. Ed, Rob and Jo took the girls out for a walk today whilst I was preparing the lunch.

The horses live with some pigs in the orchard, over the field behind the house.

Rudi had a good run out today!

When they returned from their walk, A had to be stripped of her wellies and trousers at the front door; she had enjoyed a certain amount of puddle jumping, and was absolutely filthy! If you can't do that when you're 4, though, when can you?!

In the few days since I last updated, I have been asked to join a new wind band (*insert your own joke here) which has formed in the village, taking members of all ages. I think it's make-up is going to be mostly younger students, but they are recruiting some adult players to help carry things along. I haven't played my clarinet for far too long - I wasn't even sure where it was - but Ed has found it in a box in the loft, and it seems I can still get a half-decent tune out of it. I used to absolutely love being a member of the orchestra at school, and I am really looking forward to having a go at this. Rehearsals are going to be every other Sunday in the village hall, which is a 10-minute walk from home. Couldn't be better.

Leaving you with a photo of F and I having a squidge this afternoon. Hope everyone has had a peaceful weekend...

mmmmm, chocolate...

2006-10-12T20:50:00.000+01:00

"Yum..."

I have been a little piggy this evening, and scoffed my way through a bar of Terry's chocolate orange; just a bar, mind you, not a whole 'tap it, and unwrap it' orange (although I could quite easily have wolfed one of those as well...) No, this was just the bar, and it was the best that our local Spar had to offer. But as I was sitting here, eating it, it got me to thinking how it was really a very poor substitute for my much preferred organic, dark chocolate from Green & Black's.

"A poor substitute..."

Any Green & Black's is scrummy, but my particular faves are the Maya Gold, and the Dark & Almond.

"Particular faves..."

So, I pose the question, what is your chocolate of choice? And marks out of ten for the inconsequentiality of this post!!!

rain, rain, go away...

2006-10-11T21:19:00.000+01:00

I feel the need to bring some warmth to blogland this evening, as it's been a wet, miserable day here today, and I am dreaming of faraway places!! I just fancy a week on a tropical island, with a good book and no interruptions! Is that too much to ask?!

Had a quiet day; walked down to school (in the rain) this morning; never ceases to amaze me, the number of people who get their cars out for the school run at the first hint of a drop of rain. But I'm not here to preach. Spent the day pottering around the house, doing not very much, before walking back to school (in the rain) this afternoon. Did I mention it was raining today?!! A went to her friend's house for tea, so F had two of her friends for tea at our house. They were absolutely no trouble at all; I hardly knew they were here, engrossed as they were in their game of Polly Pocket.

Not much else doing! Not a very exciting post this, is it??!! I'm off to dream some more of palm fringed beaches, and crystal clear waters...

a Rainbow promise...

2006-10-09T21:38:00.000+01:00

Yes, today was promise day for the first intake of Rainbows at our newly formed pack in the village. I was reminded at 8.30 this morning that we needed to take some cakes for the promise party which was being held after the ceremony, so I whipped up a quick batch of rice crispie cakes, burning the first lot of chocolate, and having to resort to a bar of whole nut which Ed had hidden in the fridge!! Melted the second lot the proper way, with a bain-marie, and NOT the microwave. You wouldn't believe the amount of smoke generated by a small amount of chocolate catching fire...!!! Despite the lumpy nuts, the whole nut worked really well - the resulting cakes were delicious, if I do say so myself. They went down well with the Rainbows. I have a not-very-good photo of F saying the Rainbows promise; forgot to correct the red-eye, so she's looking a bit spooky!

And a much better one of F, A and two of F's best friends - one face is pixellated because I haven't checked that it's OK to post on the great www.

Had a real treat earlier in the day; looked after the divine Miss Elizabeth for a couple of hours whilst her mum went for an appointment. She was as good as gold - she can definitely come again!

Isn't she a peach?!! She was such a good girl.

Has been unseasonably warm today; I just hope we don't suddenly go from a mild autumn to a bitterly cold autumn/winter - that's too miserable to contemplate at the moment...

a weekend in pictures

2006-10-08T22:15:00.000+01:00

...well, not really a representation of the whole weekend, just selected parts thereof!! And, as usual, I've realised that I've forgotten to upload my photos to flickr, so bear with me a sec whilst I faff about doing that...see, almost imperceptible, wasn't it!!

The girlies went off to a birthday party in Malvern yesterday afternoon, and just as they were getting ready to go, I decided to take a few snaps as the sun was out, and it seemed silly not to. Caught this one of them just before they gave each other a real smacker on the lips (which I missed!):

And since I was out in the garden with the camera, I snapped a couple of photos of my chrysanthemums, which over the past week have really opened beautifully:

My free afternoon was filled mostly with boring old housework, necessitated by having friends for lunch today. I did, however, take a whole hour and a half out, somewhat guiltily, to watch 'Letter to Brezhnev', which came free with yesterday's Guardian. I hadn't watched it for years, and it didn't disappoint. I don't think I've seen it since before I went to university in Liverpool, and it took me right back to my student days, although it's a fairly bleak portrayal of life in Liverpool, and, six years on from when the film was made, when I started at university, the City was already experiencing something of a rejuvenation. I loved my three years in Liverpool, and I am delighted that it has been chosen to be the European Capital of Culture in 2008 - I will certainly be paying a return visit.

We had a fairly leisurely start to the day this morning; the children were up before us, and it was only their plaintive cries of "we're hungry!" that forced Ed and I to roll out of our pit. Roll on the time when they can bring us breakfast in bed. I'm just kidding...sort of...

Our guests arrived extremely promptly at 12.30; now, I don't mind guests arriving on time, but I am guaranteed still to be getting ready five seconds before their arrival, so I generally prefer it if they're maybe five or ten minutes late!! As it happens, I was just tweaking my fringe into place as they crunched onto the drive, and by the time they'd unloaded themselves, their two children, plus all the paraphernalia that a travelling baby requires these days, I was ready, smiling at the door to greet them, trying to calm two overexcited blondies.

Lunch was a culinary triumph. Actually, lunch was just about passable...the parsnips were roasted almost to a cinder, the peas were still slightly chilly, and the crackling stubbornly refused to crackle. So it wasn't so much crackling as soggling. The dog enjoyed it.

After lunch, there was much cuddling of babies, and playing in the garden. A, on the swing, her attire reminiscent of someone auditioning for a place in a 1970's glam rock group:

Observant viewers will note the wellies on the wrong feet...

The younger blondie and I enjoying a book together...

F, taking the job of baby minding very seriously...

A, watching the t.v. whilst baby minding...

Hope everyone has had a peaceful weekend. Wishing you all a good week ahead.

another proud mama moment

2006-10-06T21:52:00.000+01:00

Indulge me again, if you will!! Regular blossom trail readers will be aware of the phenomenon (!!) of 'Celebration Assembly', taking place every Friday morning at school. Some of you may recall that my elder blondie was awarded the school pig earlier this term. Well, today the younger blondie was given an award for being, and I quote, "consistently fabulous" since the beginning of term!!! I think that will become a catchphrase in our house from now on. She is one of the littlest children at school, being of somewhat diminutive stature, but she confidently got up in front of the whole of the school to collect her award from her class teacher, and shook her hand beautifully, beaming the whole time. I could have cried...

Have had a great day all round; had a very old schoolfriend over for lunch - she and I have had sporadic contact over the years, but we always seem to be able to take up where we left off, and we worked out today that we have been friends for 23 years - I think that's pretty good going! She has just moved back to Worcestershire from Leicestershire, so I'm hopeful that we'll see a bit more of each other, now that she's only 25 minutes down the road.

We have a busy weekend ahead; the girls have a birthday party to go to tomorrow afternoon, which leaves me with a bit of free time to get ready for visitors on Sunday. Again, old friends for lunch, this time a university friend of Ed's, with his wife (whom we've known for years) and two little boys. Their younger son was born in July, so it'll be the first time we've met him. I am looking forward to having lots of cuddles, of course.

I will leave you tonight with some photos taken this evening; the girls have rediscovered a lovely toy bought for them by my mum last Christmas - a proper, old fashioned, wooden village - it's virtually identical to one S and I had as children. I feel very nostalgic, watching these two little girls playing so happily together...

Wishing you all a peaceful weekend...

Edited, in light of comments requesting pig photos, to say: A didn't win the pig - I didn't write that!!! She won a class teacher's award, which is a laminated picture of a star!!

walking on air

2006-10-04T21:12:00.000+01:00

Honestly, that is what it feels like with these Crocs on!! They arrived this morning in time for me to wear the fuchsia pair to harvest festival...drew a few interested/surprised stares from other parents, but I'm not one to let that sort of thing bother me, no sireeee. They are SO comfortable; I cannot stress this enough. I have never worn a pair of shoes as comfortable as this before. They are incredibly light - I spent the day taking them off to give to friends to hold - they had to feel how light they are. And they look pretty funky, too. I am very pleased (can you tell??!!) - just trying to decide now which ones to get next...

Harvest Festival was great; A's year performed a very jolly song entitled 'Big Red Combine Harvester', complete with actions for each verse. A (being one of the smallest) was right at the front so I had quite a good view of her from the end of my pew at the back of the church. She looked like she was having fun!! F's class recited a poem entitled simply 'Autumn', by someone called 'Mary F' - it was lovely, they did really well. The service lasted about 40 minutes, just the right length of time for the children to stay quiet and behaving themselves!!

Came home for a little while after church, and then went out for a girly lunch which brought with it plenty of opportunities for baby squidging, as both of my friends have teeny tinies - both girls. I managed to keep Elizabeth asleep on me for the duration of Sue's lunch, so she was able to eat in peace, and I had a fabby cuddle into the bargain.

And, just because I haven't uploaded a photo of either of the kids for, ooh, at least 48 hours, I'll leave you with a familiar face, taken this evening:

P.S. I nearly forgot! Whilst I was in town at lunchtime, I posted my parcel for the vintage book swap - I won't say what I've included, just in case my recipient happens upon my blog, but when she's received it I'll tell all. I had a lot of fun putting it all together; I will now wait anxiously to hear a) that it got to its intended destination, and b) that it is well-received. I do worry about such things...

quick-post-tuesday

2006-10-03T23:23:00.000+01:00

*edited to say - this is NOT our basket!!!*

Not much to report this evening...we had parents' evening for both girls tonight, and had good reports for both of them. Such a relief. Harvest Festival tomorrow morning, so I've been assembling two harvest baskets today for distribution tomorrow to the 'old folk' in the village. I wouldn't say they're needy - it's customary to have to dodge a BMW or two on the way to the front door of a lot of our village elders, but I think it's a good tradition for the children to continue, and it means I get to be a little wicked in my choice of fillers for the baskets!!!

I got notification that my Crocs have been dispatched by first class post today, so I am keeping everything crossed for a delivery tomorrow. On my travels around various Crocs sites yesterday, I found some more must-haves for my wish list. I absolutely love the new Mary Janes; here they are in all their pinkness:

Aren't they yum? I'm going to see if my friend in the States will pick up a pair for me before she comes over in December, as they are much cheaper over there. As usual, we get ripped off in this country, as with everything!!

on the Crocs bandwagon

2006-10-02T20:43:00.000+01:00

Yup, I've jumped right on there! Having seen Roz's and Katie's Crocs on Saturday, I could resist no longer; I have been prevaricating about buying a pair for ages and, never one to do things by halves, I have ordered two pairs from here, the Aspen in navy, and the Cayman in fuchsia (yum!) - they should be here in the next couple of days. I will, of course, be posting photos of my Croc-clad feet as soon as they land in my grubby mitts!!

I thought I'd better get a pair of the closed-toe Aspens, since we're experiencing some rather inclement weather at the moment, but I couldn't resist the gorgeous pink Caymans - these really appeal to my sense of fun, and they do look so very comfortable. I know these are either 'love 'em' or 'hate 'em', and I LOVE them (can you tell??!!)

I could have bought these in any one of 17 different colours; I like them all, but I had to narrow it down, so I went for the pink (this time!!) They've also just brought out the most fantastic wellies for grown-up kids like me; now I wonder, are these a step too far, or should I start saving my pennies??!!

happy birthday, mummy!!

2006-10-01T22:09:00.000+01:00

My darling mum is *whispers* 60 today! But she is in total denial, so I'm not really meant to mention it...hello, mum!!

We have had a wonderful family day, today; lunch at a super restaurant in Worcester - we were there for three hours, and the girls were impeccably behaved. The food was sensational, right down to the home baked tomato and basil bread rolls. F and A ate like princesses - F had smoked salmon to start, followed by chicken breast on a warm salad, and A had a white onion, parsnip and bacon soup to start, also followed by the chicken. The puddings were works of art; I photographed mine (see below) - it was fantastic! My main course of monkfish and tiger prawn kebabs with curry mayonnaise was melt-in-the-mouth delicious. After our leisurely meal, we went back to mum and dad's so that mum could open her presents. In addition to the beautiful jewellery Jaq made, and the apron I made (!!), I had managed to get a copy of the magazine 'The Picturegoer' from the week mum was born, which had a photo of a very handsome young Laurence Olivier on the front cover, and some hilarious adverts inside, including the classic "Have a Capstan!" (and smoke yourself into an early grave...), and a book written by Aneurin Bevan in 1943 - he and mum (and I) are from the same ex-mining town in South Wales, and I'd wanted to get something connected with her birthplace and the town in which she grew up. Mum absolutely loves the jewellery set - she was thrilled to bits. And my cake actually tasted pretty yummy. So, here are a few photographs from today.

F and mum at lunch...

My sorbet and meringue swans...

My family (minus my hub!)...

My family, taken by stranger with wonky vision...!

Mum and the cheeky monkeys...

My lovely mum and dad...

Love you, mum - it was so lovely to be able to spend today with you. Siani, we all missed you - we'll have to do it again when you're home from Oz in December.

*Happy 60th birthday, mum!!!*

a fantabulous day!

2006-09-30T22:24:00.000+01:00

Oh, I have had SO much fun today; went down to Crafty Pastimes in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire for Kirsty's and Emily's workshops - both were totally, totally awesome, to coin a phrase!! I'm afraid this post is going to be unusually photo-heavy, since I snapped away, and insisted on having my unphotogenic self in various shots with other, far more gorgeous scrappers!! I had the pleasure of sitting next to the adorable Katie Shanahan-Jones - what a peach she is! Anyway, for your viewing pleasure, here is a small selection of photies...

The lovely Ms Shanahan-Jones...

The adorable Ms Wiseman...

The gorgeous Ms Falconbridge...

Gorgeous Rena made some of her world-famous cupcakes, which were delish - the icing was scrummy and creamy!

Kirsty's passion for Jaffa Cakes is well-documented, and so it will come as no surprise to members of the scrapping community that she was well-supplied with Jaffas today:

I was the fool who made the mistake of bringing the heinous blackcurrant variety...

I haven't got photos of my projects from today to post, as yet, as I haven't really finished either of them; Kirsty's is completed but not embellished, and Emily's is nowhere near finished, but I've made a good start!! It was a fantastic day, ladies - thank you, and to Linz for arranging the hall and letting us all come and splurge in the shop! A big "mwah" to my lovely mate Ali (Alibri), who was a teeny bit late arriving, but got there in the end - great to see you, darling! And it was really lovely to meet Beth, all-too-briefly - would have liked to have chatted for longer, hun! xx

And finally...

As promised, a photo of 'the cake' - remember, it is ages, and I mean ages since I last baked a cake, and this was an unfamiliar recipe, so I hope it tastes OK - I think it looks pretty edible, though??!!

Night, night all! xx

my first apron

2006-09-29T23:43:00.000+01:00

Here, as promised, are pictures of the apron I've made for mum as part of her birthday present; it was SO easy to do, no pattern needed, I will definitely be making some more! Really enjoyed doing it, it only took an evening, and I'm really pleased with the finished article! It's two-sided and can be worn both sides, so the girls modelled a side each...

Not great pictures, but you get the general gist!

The walnut and coffee cake is made, and looks AND smells lovely, but of course the proof of the pudding will be in the eating; what do I do, break into it to check it's OK, eat that one and make a fresh one tomorrow night, or take a chance on it tasting OK and not worry about it??!!!

Have got all my stuff ready for the workshop tomorrow; very excited and really looking forward to it. Just checked the route finder, and it should only take me about 40 minutes to get to Linz's tomorrow - should be a breeze at that time in the morning. Will be taking my camera with me, so should have some fab photos to show tomorrow night.

Happy Weekend, everyone!

just a quickie

2006-09-28T23:07:00.000+01:00

Busy day - honestly, this working lark is playing havoc with my blogging!!!

Haven't photographed the apron yet; will do that tomorrow.

Will also take up the tag(s) tomorrow - I think I've now been tagged by Jakey as well!!

Not working tomorrow - hoorah! Getting ready for the weekend - am going to Kirsty's and Emily's workshops at Crafty Pastimes on Saturday. I am going to be a real scrap groupie and ask Ms Falconbridge to sign my 'Designing With...' books!! Really looking forward to it - going to be catching up with some of my lovely scrapping buds, and meeting some new people into the bargain.

Also making final preparations for mum's birthday on Sunday; the jewellery from Jaq arrived today, and it is absolutely beautiful; I am SO thrilled, it's simply gorgeous. I'm making a coffee and walnut cake tomorrow - it is yonks since I last made a sponge cake, so wish me luck...if it turns out OK, I'll share a pic. Actually, if it's a disaster, I'll probably share a pic, too!!

normal service resumes

2006-09-27T23:14:00.000+01:00

No post yesterday; I fell on the way down to school to collect the children (how much of a plonker did I feel??!!) and although I thought I was OK at the time, my left ankle swelled up like a balloon yesterday evening, and I was confined to bed with an ice-pack and some paracetamol!! It's heavily strapped today, and I can at least walk on it, which I was unable to do last night.

Anyhoo. Yesterday's mail brought a lovely parcel from America, the fruits of the international tea cup swap I'd taken part in on Swap Bot - I received the most beautiful, delicate Limoges tea cup and saucer, and a canister of pomegranate green tea, which is delish.

Do you like the black raincoat backdrop??!! Must get some black material...

Yesterday's mishap meant that I haven't made my daily visit to any of my favourite blogs, and I will catch up on all my blog stalking tomorrow!!

I've spent the evening making an apron for mum for her 60th birthday, this coming Sunday. With some help from my lovely friend Ali, I think we've made something she'll absolutely love. I'll take some photos in a good light tomorrow, and post tomorrow evening. My lovely scrapping mate Jaq over at A String Of Beads has made a beautiful set of a necklace, bracelet and some earrings for mum, and they are absolutely gorgeous. I'm thrilled, and I know mum will be. Thanks, Jaq :) Will post a pic after Sunday!

Oh! And Happy Birthday, Richie - love ya, darl xxx

P.S. I've been tagged by Rena and Roz; ladies, I will take up the tags (!!) but not 'til tomorrow!! Will have to rack my brains, though, I don't think there's anything weird about me...

leaving it 'til the last minute

2006-09-25T21:48:00.000+01:00

Why do I do this??! I have spent the evening cobbling together the Minutes of a meeting (a sub-committee of the Governing Body at school) held on July 10th. I wrote copious notes, so remembering what we discussed isn't a problem, but it would have been SO much easier had I done it the same evening, or next day. I've then had to do a report from that committee to the rest of the GB for a meeting of the full GB which is being held tomorrow. Again, had I done the Minutes in a more timely fashion, this report wouldn't have weighed as heavy on my mind as it has over the past fortnight, when I've been aware that I needed to get it done, but just haven't had the will to do it! Anyway, they're both done now, and have been sent out into hyperspace for the edification of my fellow committee members prior to tomorrow's meeting. I don't know why I join these things; I think it is my strong sense of public duty kicking in, but I wish, just once in a while, I'd have the courage to say "no" when someone asks me to join up!!

Anyhoo. Work was absolutely fine and dandy today - thank you all for your good wishes. I am acutely aware of the fact that it is extremely bratty of me to complain about doing four mornings' work, and actually, I really enjoyed it today, but I wouldn't want to be there every day, no sireee. I made the right decision, giving up my substantive post in May. No regrets.

And no photos today *gasp* - I know, I hate a photo-less post, but I haven't taken any today, and nothing in the archive bears any relevance to the above post. Sorry, just dribble and drivel today!!

make-up, wellies, cheesy grins

2006-09-24T22:24:00.000+01:00

I was trying to think of a witty and uplifting post title for a Sunday evening, but my brain appears to be working at about 2 miles an hour, somewhat slower than is usual, and therefore this is the best I can come up with (up with which I can come, if you're being pedantic!!) It does exactly what it says on the tin, certainly insofar as the photographs I'm about to post are concerned.

The girls were experimenting with a fairly revolting make-up set given to Freya for her birthday - everything in it is bright pink and impossible to remove, other than with a wire brush. I'm kidding, of course, but it did take a good old scrub with a flannel at bath time, and had been applied early this morning. Now, I know the application is pretty haphazard, but is it me, or does this child look way older than just 6??!!

In the second instalment of what may yet become a series, Anja and I are pleased to bring you this, a slight departure from an earlier theme, since the wellies are this time on the right feet:

Can you see how well her "girls" are doing in their blue pots??!!

And just because I love the expression on her fizzog, another photo from today, which again was spent mostly in the garden.

I am feeling ever-so-slightly 'Sunday evening', because I'm working four mornings this week, shock horror. I'm filling in at the Register Office, whilst my successor is on holiday, and since it's over two months since I last registered a birth or death, I'm feeling a teeny bit nervous. I'm sure I'll be fine once I'm there, but I'm beginning to wonder whether I should give it up altogether, because I don't want to make a mistake, and I think that becomes increasingly likely, the longer the gaps between registrations. I'll see how I feel at the end of this week.

Hope everyone out there has had a good/productive/enjoyable/stress-free* *you choose weekend, and wishing you all a great week ahead.

a snail called george

2006-09-23T20:59:00.000+01:00

Much excitement today as Anja found a new pet; alas, he was only with us for a short while, before being lost in the undergrowth where, it has to be said, he was probably much happier. She was distraught for about 30 seconds and then moved on to the next thing!! I managed to capture these few moments; George was tiny - Anja has small hands, even for a four year-old, so you can see how little our friendly mollusc was!

Note also that Anja is wedded to her Chelsea shirt...it has been washed!!

We had promised the girls early on in the day that if they were good and gave us a bit of help in the garden, they would be able to have their bouncy castle out early evening. Freya weeded the drive for me - quite happily - and Anja sorted some rocks and stones, and gave them all a good wash! A little bit of slave labour does them no harm. The bouncy castle came out at 6, and they expended what little energy they had left - I don't know where they get it all from. They are sound asleep, and I doubt we will hear a peep from either of them until 8 o'clock tomorrow morning.

It's been a beautiful day here - I think it's going to break tomorrow, and I'm glad we spent the whole day outside today. It has been lovely.

friday, friday...

2006-09-22T20:15:00.000+01:00

As not sung by the Mamas and the Papas!!

We are glad it's Friday in this house; I have two little girls who are extremely tired, as illustrated beautifully by these snaps taken this afternoon:

I have nothing prophetic, insightful or inspiring to say this evening; just to wish you all a very happy weekend - I will be moving onwards and upwards with my house clearing/garden maintenance!!

brave little soldier...

2006-09-21T23:34:00.000+01:00

Anja had her 'pre'-school boosters today - not sure why they're so called, since she's at school already, but they're the ones they have when they're 4 - MMR in one arm, and polio/tetanus/meningitis C/whooping cough in the other arm. She didn't even flinch! I was SO impressed. The nurse gave her a sweet and chatted to Anja about her footballing ambitions. As soon as we were home, she changed into her new Chelsea strip, very kindly donated by my friend Sue. She is in seventh heaven with this:

I am on a mission to find her a football team, but it seems that most of our local ones won't take them 'til they're 5. She's very keen to practice, and I'm afraid I just don't cut the mustard for a kick around in the back garden. She wants to play with "real footballers"...

not a lot doing…

2006-09-20T21:58:00.000+01:00

First official day of ‘freedom’ – I write it in inverted commas, as it feels an odd sort of liberty at the moment. It will take me a while to get used to the fact that I am leaving them both at school at 8.40am and not collecting either of them until 3pm. Very strange. I have used my time relatively productively today; managed to clear the decks in the dining room, and have surreptitiously binned some of the broken toys. I have to do this when the girls aren’t here, otherwise I get a chorus of “we still play with that…” or “that’s my favourite toy…” – if I do it in their absence, they don’t even notice that something has gone. I’ve yet to be caught out, but there’s always a first time!!

When the girls got home from school, the first thing they did was go straight back outside to play in the garden, and there they stayed until tea-time at 6. They had their kites out again, and had a couple of successful launches from the top of the slide; before too much longer I think Ed and I had better take them up the Malvern Hills so that they can have a proper kite flying experience!!

Not many pictures from today, but I took some snaps from upstairs whilst they were fooling around on the swings:

On a more sombre note, I have heard this evening that one of my fave television presenters has been critically injured in a crash, driving a jet-powered car. Get well soon, Richard Hammond - it just wouldn’t be the same without you.

on the 'ice'

2006-09-19T20:43:00.000+01:00

Had a really, really lovely day today with Kathryn and Jasmine. Anja and Jasmine had their first taste of ice-skating, although it wasn't real ice, but the plastic stuff which actually I found really difficult to skate on. Anja loved it; she was concentrating so hard on not falling over, so she had a serious expression on her little face the whole time. Love this one:

After the skating, we went to Pizza Hut for lunch, which was lovely right up until the point when I found a dead fly in my cappuccino - is this karma for not paying for my coffee last week??!! I nearly saw my lunch a second time round - still feel sick at the thought of it. The waitresses thought it was disgusting, too, and the manageress is sending it to their Head Office with my name and address. She reckoned it must have been in a vacuum packed bag of coffee... Anyhoo...

We had a bit of time to kill after lunch, so we took the girls to the countryside centre for a run-around - they were hyper after their sweet-covered ice-cream desserts. This is my favourite shot from this afternoon:

Back at home, the girls were eager to try out the kites Anja and I had purchased at Toy City (home of the ice rink!) £2.99 each - very reasonable, I thought. Here's Freya about to launch hers from the top of the slide:

I am now a free woman; Anja is full-time at school from tomorrow. The declutter resumes in earnest, and there is an empty skip to be filled. If you see me loitering at my PC, tell me to get back to work!!!

first full day

2006-09-18T21:13:00.000+01:00

Anja's first full day went like a dream, by all accounts, although she was shattered when she came out at 3pm. I ended up having to carry her part of the way home, something I wouldn't normally do, but she was clinging, limpet-like to my leg, and to be honest it was easier to pick her up. Really don't want to make a habit of it, though.

Well, our feathered friend remained on my windowsill all night long; when I awoke at 6.30 this morning, she was still there, asleep, and looking quite comfortable, and by the time I got out of the shower at 7, she was awake and looking around. As I rolled back the blind from its half-open position, she flew away without a backwards glance!!! Predictably, she left a nice pile of poo on the sill, which I've yet to clean off - just can't quite stomach it. Perhaps I'll leave it for the window cleaner!!! Kidding...

Not a lot else happening today; operation clean-up/declutter started in earnest this morning, and then sort of petered out around lunch time!! I am trying to go through the rooms one at a time, but the novelty of having the whole house to myself this morning was a bit overwhelming. I have a day off from it tomorrow, though, as it's Anja's last day of no school (even though she was in all day today), so she and I are meeting my friend Kath and her daughter Jasmine, at the 'fun palace' at Toy City...there is a temporary ice rink there as well, so Kath and I will be able to show off our skating skills to the little girls, ha ha ha!! I will take my camera in the hope of getting some good shots, but I might spend all my time on my bottom...

No photos from today, and I do so hate a photo-less post; since it's school photo time again soon, I'll leave you with this from May 2004 - the girls' first 'official' portrait!

a visitor

2006-09-17T20:41:00.000+01:00

I was sitting on my bed this evening, minding my own business drying Freya's hair, when this delightful creature landed on my windowsill:

Now, I don't mind birds, inasmuch as I don't have a phobia of them, but this one is SO tame - note the tags - and s/he has been staring in to my bedroom for nearly an hour. Ed opened the window to take this photo (whilst I was getting increasingly hysterical in the background at the thought that s/he might fly in at any moment) and s/he looked on interestedly, but wasn't unduly worried. S/he now has some water and food in little bowls stuck with double-sided tape to the sill. Ed has looked on the 'net for some advice, and it's more than likely that s/he has just stopped to have a rest...

*tagged*
I have been tagged by the lovely Debra, and have to detail 10 things that have scared me, so here goes:

1. Friends’ erratic/dangerous driving, when we were all 17 and first learning to drive. I can remember piling 9 people into my mum’s Triumph Acclaim – this wasn’t scary so much as stupid (and illegal) – the scary part was the thought of being stopped by the police…

2. My elder daughter having a bump to the back of the head when she was just 2, and losing consciousness, albeit only for about 10 seconds; I think my heart missed several beats…she was fine within minutes, and very much enjoyed the ambulance ride to A&E…

3. My 89 year-old grandmother collapsing and losing consciousness in front of me; I am rubbish in a crisis – luckily my gorgeous sister was on hand to take charge and accompany granny to the hospital. Granny will be 95 on October 9th…

4. My elder daughter being too weak to stand having been unable to eat or drink for nearly a fortnight, and having my fears that the antibiotics were not working ignored for too long, then spending 6 days in hospital with her watching her being injected and having lines put in and bloods taken…

5.My elder daughter running out in to the road…

6. My younger daughter’s fearlessness…

7. Bungy jumping off the Kawarau Bridge, Queenstown, New Zealand…

8. Having absolutely no control over a cantering horse, and being 100% at its mercy…I had a very sore bottom the following day…

9. Not feeling in control of a situation…

10. The thought of losing either of my children…

I am going to tag Miss Sugar and Spice!

*a new week*
I am very much looking forward to the coming week; Ed is going back to work after a fortnight at home; it has been SO lovely having him at home, and we have done tons of stuff in the garden, but I now *need* to have the house to myself for a little while as the place (indoors) looks like a pigsty. Anja is doing full days at school, every day except Tuesday, when she and I are having a day out with some friends. So from Wednesday, she'll be properly at school. YAY!!

indian summer party

2006-09-16T22:54:00.000+01:00

Our invitation to Jase and Beck's 'indian summer' party arrived ages ago, and I have been looking forward to it all summer! Anyway, the day finally arrived today, and we set off for deepest Wiltshire on an afternoon that promised to be distinctly unsummery, but the weather turned out to be an irrelevance, as the company and the food were so delightful that the weather didn't matter. And it didn't rain, which, in September in the UK, is about as much as you can ask for! Thank you, Beck and Jase, very much - we all had a fantastic afternoon and evening.

My food photography is still in its infancy, so please bear with me!!

Dolly daydream enjoying the party...

Anja investigating the beautifully prepared children's lunch and surprise bags...

As for me, I am SO tired!! Just about to get in to bed and read the paper...

proud mama moment

2006-09-15T22:16:00.000+01:00

Indulge me for just a minute, please. I have written previously about my concerns over Freya settling in to school this year, and also about the enormous pressures that are placed on the children at school at such a young age. At Freya's school, they hold a celebration assembly on a Friday morning to which parents and friends are invited; I toddled along this morning, as I usually do, to join in the singing and to share in the applause for any children being rewarded for whatever reason this week. The '*name of school* pig' is awarded in celebration assembly to one child, only if a teacher has put forward a special nomination to the headmistress - some weeks the pig stays at school because there are no nominations. The recipient of the first pig of this school year is...*drum roll, please*...FREYA!!

She gets to wear the piggy badge until next Friday, and the wooden pig that she's cradling in the photo sits on her desk for the week. If there is an award next Friday, Freya has to hand it on to the next person in assembly, otherwise it goes back to the head's office. Her teacher said that she'd been "working her socks off" since the start of term, and that she'd "settled really well" - such a relief.

In other news, Anja, Ed and I have been hard at work in the garden again today, after the rain scuppered any chance we had of getting out there yesterday. I got ten winter pansies free at the garden centre this morning, because I'd spent over £10, so Anja claimed these as her own, and planted them in my blue pots; she has taken to referring to them as "my girls" and has been talking to them, and encouraging them to grow!

Do you garden in pink sparkly shoes worn on the wrong feet?

We've just about finished the patch at the end of the drive; the grasses are in, and I'm really pleased with how it looks. They should all spread a little to fill in some of the gaps, and hopefully this patch will now require very little in the way of maintenance, just the odd bit of trimming back from time to time, and perhaps some removal of weeds. Because it's a long, thin patch, it's difficult to get a decent photo, but this gives the general idea:

I've also planted up six pots with a variety of daffodil, tulip and crocus bulbs for some colour in the late winter/early spring months; I've never planted bulbs before (I am a hopeless gardener) so I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed that I've done it properly, and wait to see what happens in February/March!!

oh, the shame...

2006-09-14T22:48:00.000+01:00

Mother and I are losing our marbles. No question. We set off this morning for a leisurely run to the nursery, not five minutes in the car from home, to look for some grasses to plant in amongst the gravel that Ed shovelled and spread yesterday. It was pouring with rain, and because my 'waterproof' coat was definitely leaking - I could feel big drips of rain running down my back - we decided that our hearts weren't in it, and left to go another five minutes down the road to a little coffee shop, which is attached to a farm shop. Waitress service, so we duly ordered a cappuccino (for mum) and a decaff cappuccino (for me); the waitress left our bill with the coffees, which we gratefully drank, watching the rain continue to pour down outside, then gradually ease as the sky brightened and the grey clouds receded. "Ready?" I asked, once we'd both drained our cups and smacked our lips appreciatively. "Yes!" exclaimed mother, so off we went. Merrily on our way, stroll back to the car, drive car ten minutes back to my house. Mother comes in (briefly) to say hello to Anja, before getting ready to leave for home, to cook dad's lunch. Mother just about to get into her car, when I say "Oh, SH*T!!!! Did you pay the bill at Hiller's?" A look of abject horror comes over mum's face, as she says "NO! I didn't..." "Don't worry!" I say, "I will phone them, and take the money straight over!" "Will you?" says Mum. "Here's £5 - my treat!!" And off she sped, back wheels spinning in the gravel as she did so. So, off I went, and straight away phoned the coffee shop, beginning "Hello, this is extremely embarrassing, but..." and I got no further before the (very nice) woman at the other end said, "Yes, we know, two cappuccinos!" She was so nice, saying not to worry about it, drop it in the next time you're passing, that as soon as I came off the phone I dissolved into floods of tears at the huge relief of not being thought of as a crook and a thief...so Ed took pity on me, and took the money himself.

Thanks, hun.

little miss fix it!

2006-09-13T20:48:00.000+01:00

Anja is far happier playing outside and being busy than stuck in in front of the television, so whilst Ed and I were slaving over garage doors and giant bags of gravel, she helped herself to grandad's very old tool box, and set about 'fixing' her bike, chatting away to herself all the while. Do you like the pirate trousers - she dressed herself this morning...

The latest Letterbox catalogue plopped through our letterbox this morning, and Anja has spied her perfect gift - she is absolutely beside herself at the thought of one day possibly owning such a beauty as this:

Anja's idea of paradise in a box!!!

I had seen this very same tool set before last Christmas, but the age guide says "3+ though more suited to 6+" - Anja will be 5 in February, but I think that under careful supervision she'd be quite safe with this. I think it might well be going on Father Christmas's list - apologies for mentioning the man with the big white beard this early in September...

Ed and I have made brill progress in the garden today, so mum and I are going plant shopping tomorrow morning to get some grasses to put in amongst the gravel; I think it is going to look great, but I'll hold off posting any photos until it's finished.

Freya has had to write about herself for her first piece of homework in year 2; we were told that, across the week, the children should spend no more than 20 minutes on homework, so with that in mind, I was determined to let her go at her own pace, and not to write it for her. This is what she wrote: "My name is Freya. I am 6. I have a sosig dog and she is called Rudi. I have blond her and blowe eyes. I have a sister called Anja. She is 4. I have two cusuns and they are called Jacob and Caleb." I can't ask for much more than that, can I??!!!

ruby tuesday

2006-09-12T22:42:00.000+01:00

Ho hum. Today wasn't a particularly 'ruby' day, but in the absence of a better, more witty title, it'll have to suffice.

I have spent the day looking more and more like the incredible hulk as the day has progressed, and no, I don't have any photos to prove it. The garage doors I'm sanding are green, and with each downward, then upward motion with the sandpaper, I have been releasing the tiniest particles of bright green dust into the air, and onto my hair, under my fingernails, all over my arms, and my face (unwittingly transferred from my hands). If I hadn't been wearing a well-sealed face mask, I can only imagine what colour my snot would have been this evening. Too much information? I apologise. I am finding it tediously boring in the extreme, inspite of the fact that I've been listening to my iPod whilst sanding. Next time, I will definitely pay someone to do this job; I thought it would be worth the satisfaction of doing it myself - I was wrong...

Ah well, it should be finished tomorrow, and no doubt by the time my next post rolls around, I'll be rejoicing!!

I haven't taken any photos today, so I'm debating whether or not I should leave this post photo-less, which I hate doing, as I much prefer to see a photo in posts on other people's blogs, or whether you are due another dose of 'Children of the 70's', which is a too-easy way of fulfilling the requirement for a photo!! Just off to have a trawl, and see whether there are any gems in the archive...

*one lazy trawl later*

Slightly later vintage than the first instalment; these are circa 1976/77, and this time feature matching outfits (and haircuts) which, by now, had become the norm.

Giggle away...!!!

*quick postscript*

Thank you, darling Siani, for your card, posted in Sydney on Friday, and delivered to me first thing this morning; it would hardly have arrived sooner if you'd brought it yourself. Was just what I needed - love you!

i can see a rainbow...

2006-09-11T21:29:00.000+01:00

...and here she is!! Yes, today was Freya's first day at Rainbows - a new pack has been founded in the village, and she was at the inaugural meeting this afternoon, resplendent in her bright red baseball cap and funky polo shirt. I am having to bite my tongue and resist the urge to ask her for a large fries and flame-grilled Whopper...

She had a fantastic time, came home brimming with enthusiasm, and looking forward to their next meet a week today.

Anja had her second morning in school, this time unaccompanied, and she, too, had a smashing time - she didn't really want to come home at lunchtime, but she was shattered so I think it's probably a good thing that she only did half a day. She's in again on Thursday morning, and then full days next week, every day except Tuesday.

I spent part of the afternoon sanding down the garage doors in preparation for painting them; have chosen a rich burgundy colour to replace the faded green, currently the tattiest doors in the vicinity, but not for much longer, oh NO! Ed and I went to B&Q and Jewsons this morning, and have bought membrane, log roll etc. to spruce up the front, and are taking delivery of a BIG bag of gravel on Wednesday. I can't wait to get it finished - Ed has borrowed his mum's rotivator to get all of the tree roots and weeds out of the patch we're working on. What fun we will have tomorrow, and no distractions either, as we've had notice that our electricity is going to be off between 9am and 4pm - I didn't think they could do that, but evidently they can...wish us luck!!

more blackberries, and a pogo stick

2006-09-10T20:10:00.000+01:00

Freya had a sort of little person's version of a pogo stick for her birthday, with a big yellow ball on the bottom to bounce on, so she has been out in the garden today, desperately trying to achieve more than a couple of bounces before falling off. It comes complete with a variety of ~~irritating~~ melodious tunes and blooper-type noises to accompany said practice, a veritable cacophony to entertain and, no doubt, amuse the neighbours on a peaceful Sunday afternoon. I thought the best way to show her how to do it would be to get on myself, but, in the words of my darling husband, "you'll definitely break it if you get on, definitely..." so I left her to it, and in a surprisingly short space of time she had it mastered:

We've also been blackberry picking in the sunshine this afternoon:

It was great fun!! The blackberries were plump and ripe, and very easy to pick. Anja was going to save hers to have with her breakfast tomorrow morning, but ended up mashing them in the bag and eating the resulting coulis with a spoon - taking great delight in doing so.

This was my paltry collection; I was too busy keeping an eye on three children and remembering to take photos to pick very many - they were sweet and delicious, nonetheless:

I didn't eat the acorns...

it's not all work, work, work...

2006-09-09T21:29:00.000+01:00

*sigh* - another six weddings today, three registering, three conducting - and it has started to feel a bit like a conveyor belt. Our marriages were at 11.00, 11.30, 12.00, 13.00, 14.00 and 15.00, the first three at the office, and the next three at three different venues, here, here, and here. They all went very smoothly, but it was such a rush hopping from one to the next that I couldn't honestly say I enjoyed the day, although it did go very quickly. Anyway, I don't have any more weddings in September, just a few mornings at the end of the month registering births and deaths in the office.

We have taken delivery of a skip, and our mission over the next 7 days before Ed goes back to work is to 'landscape' the front and back gardens, and get rid of some more of the clutter that we seem, yet again, to have amassed. I say landscape - Ed and I are doing it ourselves, and I have a vision of how I want it to look, which takes in tall grasses and neat gravel, but whether the end result will bear any resemblance to the vision, only time will tell. I will take some before shots tomorrow, and hopefully by the end of the week it will all be beautifully tidy, easily manageable, and I will cease to feel embarrassed about the state of our gardens! Our near neighbours keep their gardens meticulously weed-free and well-kept, and to be honest with you, I wouldn't want to live next door to us at the moment!!! I don't know where our respective mothers' green finger genes went, but they weren't passed on to either Ed or I. I think we will probably end up painting the garage doors in a further bid to spruce up the front of the house.

I stopped by Toya's blog today, and in her latest post she has taken up a challenge to post photos of some of her earliest layouts, and it got me to thinking about some of my 'beauties' from the early days when I first discovered scrapping, two and-a-half years ago. Non-Bazzill cardstock (I will freely admit to being a Bazzill snob!!), stickers, teddy bear die cuts, the works. When I'm feeling a bit braver, I'll post a couple - maybe later this week!! I hope I've come a long way since then, but it's such a subjective thing, I suppose.

Au sujet de, I am *this* close to embarking upon some proper scrapping; I haven't done a layout for months, and I'm not really sure why. It's got to the point now where I'm almost afraid to commit patterned paper to Bazzill for fear of making a complete hash of it...what if I can't 'do' it any more??!! I've now taken delivery of my large photo order from Snapfish, so I really have no excuse not to do it. Wish me luck, ladies...

*a postscript to today...*

Thelma and Louise, anyone?

dog, blackberries, children...

2006-09-08T18:31:00.000+01:00

Yay! Thank [insert appropriate expletive here] it's Friday! End of the first week back at school, we've all survived it just about intact. Freya had a much better day, and came home full of tales of drawing flowers, specifically lilies, and labelling them for a display. She seemed much happier today.

As many of you will already know, I am better known in some UK scrapping circles as Rudishoes; when I first joined UK Scrappers two and-a-half years ago, I think I wanted to retain a little anonymity, so I chose Rudishoes as my user name...after my faithful pooch, the original Rudi(shoes)!! Anyway, since I don't think I've blogged about her yet, I thought it was high time she got a look-in. She'll be 11 in December, and is growing old very gracefully. This is her this morning, playing with her chew toys in the sun, in the back garden:

As is customary in the *blossom trail* household, today was treat day, and after school daddy walked the girls to the village shop to choose their treat. Today was also my deadline for posting some postcards for a swap I'd signed up to on Swap-Bot, so the girls very obligingly agreed to pop my 5 cards in the post box for me on the way to the shop:

Anja wasn't able to reach, so Freya did the honours. Anja has decided this week that she is "too tired to walk" on a number of occasions, and whilst I am a cruel mother, and insist that she walks (or I leave her behind, wailing in the street...), daddy is thoroughly indulgent, and takes the pushchair with him. I call this piece 'Lady Muck':

The title promised blackberries; here are some slightly sad-looking specimens found in the back garden this morning:

We would have had a much bigger crop than the one we've ended up with, but the farmer radically chopped our back hedge a couple of weeks ago, and most of the blackberry brambles went then.

Am off for a walk around the village this evening in an effort to kick-start my exercise regime; am absolutely shattered, but my friend Sue is making me go!! Working tomorrow - 6 weddings in all, 3 at the Register Office, and 3 at hotels.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

knew it wouldn't last...

2006-09-07T16:47:00.000+01:00

Poor old Freya-chops did not want daddy to leave her at school this morning, and he ended up having to take her in, to be prised off him by her lovely teacher, Miss Mahoney (pronounced Marney, but we have christened her Miss M'Honey at home, as it seems far more appropriate!!) Anyway, she came out of school with a yellow smiley face sticker on her cardi, given to her by the aforementioned Miss M'Honey as a reward for cheering up as soon as daddy had turned the corner this morning. Honestly, I don't think I can go through another bout of separation issues; I had it literally all the way through nursery, when I had to leave a teary-faced 3 year-old every single morning. No fuss from me, there was no way I was going to pander to it, but it carried on right the way through the year. Reception year wasn't quite so bad, although there were a few weeks at the start when it was touch and go. Year 1, this time last year, was pretty bad again, both at the start of term, and after Christmas after Freya had a spell in hospital (which, of course, was totally understandable.) I had hoped she'd outgrown it, though, and she was off to such a positive start Tuesday and yesterday. Ah well, we'll just have to see how we go. If necessary, I'll start another sticker chart - it worked last year...

Anja was frustrated not to be going to school today; she's not in again until next Monday, and then just for the morning, and then not again until Thursday, again, only for half a day. She is desperate to get back in there, and I am trying to keep her entertained whilst Freya's at school, but I think she's had enough of me after well over 6 weeks' holiday!!

In desperation, I have signed up to this diet plan today; I had hoped to be able to manage it myself, but I need something to give me that added incentive to keep going, and this site has recipe plans, shopping lists, a diary and all sorts of hints and tips - £1.75 a week seems like a small price to pay if it works, and not a lot to lose if it doesn't! We'll see...

starting school

2006-09-06T13:32:00.000+01:00

Anja has had a lovely first morning at school! She painted a self-portrait, complete with HUGE black eyelashes and big blue eyes, read a story with the teacher, played outside in the Reception class play area, and generally had a thoroughly enjoyable time. Freya was also quite happy to go back this morning, and we had a very leisurely walk down to school, with both girls chatting all the way there.

Anja and I will be walking back down to collect Freya at 3 - Anja has already decided she's too tired to walk, so I foresee a trying time ahead!!

...on the blossom trail

*early post!*

*tea/infusion confusion!*

*...and then it came to me!!*

*'drowned' for a week?*

*mmmm...can you smell these?*

*happy father's day!*

*a quiet day...*

*a very wet Friday!*

*sneak peeks...*

*busy bee!*

*no news Tuesday...*

*exhausted!!*

*quite excited...*

*and the sun shone...*

*and the winner is...*

*furry?!!*

*just a quickie...*

*not taking life too seriously!*

*...a lovely day*

*100th post!*

*the new look...*

*a new inspiration blog...*

*Easter hols...*

*the secret...*

*welcome home, wellllllcome!*

*half-term...*

*snowy week!*

*photos, and some crafting...*

*tagged - six weird things*

*dolly beads!*

*impromptu photo shoot!!*

*a quick catch-up!*

*holding out for a hero - lovin' Shrek!!*

*a quick jaunt around YouTube...*

*a lovely birthday...*

*short-haired daughter, and the eve of my 35th...*

*quick catch-up - more tomorrow!*

*HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!*

*costumes...*

*Christmas carols*

*normal service resumes!!*

*weekend photos*

*chicken stock...*

*alternative Christmas giving*

*new beds!*

*fireworks and glow sticks!*

*cold and frosty morning*

*all things pumpkin!*

*too tired...*

*Society of Secret Fairies*

*autumnal fare...extra protein*

*beaded beauty!*

*organic food boxes*

*good to be back!*

*more halloween shenanigans*

*girls' night in*

*the simplest of things...*

*halloween come early*

*country life!*

*mmmmm, chocolate...*

*rain, rain, go away...*

*a Rainbow promise...*

*a weekend in pictures*

*another proud mama moment*

*walking on air*

*quick-post-tuesday*

*on the Crocs bandwagon*

*happy birthday, mummy!!*

*a fantabulous day!*

*my first apron*

*just a quickie*

*normal service resumes*

*leaving it 'til the last minute*

*make-up, wellies, cheesy grins*

*a snail called george*

*friday, friday...*

*brave little soldier...*

*not a lot doing…*

*on the 'ice'*