Seven Times Around The Sun

Jacks birthday started with sleep over friends, and presents at breakfast, and progressed to the Pancake Breakfast with even more friends at Tapeley in aid of Two Rivers.

Jack and friends choosing their fillings.

Sun streaming through the barn windows.

The dedicated kitchen staff.

And this, oh this, this is my first ever cuddle with this long anticipated and much thought about little chap. My friends third child, and first boy, little Ocean.

Details of his amazing birth on the Birthwise blog.

The First Few Days - The Quay

At the very beginning of this new year anything seems possible. Rules seem to have been shaken and in some cases re-written by the shift into 2012. These first tentative steps into these fresh new days are strange. I am trying to flow with the feelings of change and making sure we just keep heading wherever it's taking us. 

This was Sunday morning. The quay was draped in mist and the storms had left the higher reaches of the beach strewn with seaweed and driftwood, whilst the sand looked as though it had been polished flat. We explored it with friends, finding empty shark egg cases and lumps of timber for the fire. It felt wild, elemental and perfect down there.

Photos courtesy of Frankie from Bluebells and Two Rivers

Half Terming - Dog Walking

Just a little bit of autumnal walking with some lovely friends and lively children.

Road Tripping Part 1

So, the summer....

Yes, I know that was ages ago, and I should have blogged this sooner, but we have been ever so busy with the start of a new term and the re-start of my classes.

In fact the only real reason that this post is so late is that my computer has decided that uploading photos to Blogger is just soooo last season and to get any pics on here is currently requiring the patience of a Saint and an evening entirely devoid of more important things to do.

And I have neither.

Ok, so road trip

First stop was Bristol, then on to stay with my beautiful sister and her Mum in Gloucestershire.

We took the boys to Bowood House, a large country estate with this brilliant adventure playground within its grounds.

And fairly typically, this is Jack in the safety nets! This drew quite a crowd, especially when Fin had to get in there to rescue him.

Fin doing his best to get Kirsty to be sick

We left Gloucestershire and headed over to my smashing mates new home in Epsom. This was last time I visited them.

So, are Epsom and Ewell Borough Council a) the most naive Council in the UK, or b) the only council in the UK with a sense of humour?

Please, if anyone knows of a better named shopping centre anywhere in the UK, do let me know.

Kite flying on Epsom Downs.

A good dose of tree hugging in Nonsuch Park

Is it the association with ice creams, or the having your photo taken that becomes unacceptable at the age of 12?

Using Epsom as a base we spent a soggy but fantastic day in London with the splendidly dressed Uncle Ben and friends. There is nothing quite like a damp 3 year old for ruining a perfectly good suit!!

We went to the Natural History Museum which was immense. Unfortunately being a wet day in the summer holidays, we were joined by most of London!

It was such a great place for the boys though, and so lovely to spend some time with Ben and his friends, having not seen him since Cornwall.



From here we moved on to Sussex, but that will have to wait until I feel a Saint-like dose of patience coming on!

Half Term in Cornwall

My Birthday and half term in Cornwall.

sea,

rock pools,

raw birthday cake,

woods,

Pimms,

barbeques,

kick the can,

seaweed,

evenings,

lobster,

beautiful days,

beautiful people,

happy children,

delicious food,

and laughing.

Lots and lots of laughing.

And all over far, far too soon.

More photos to follow when I find the cable for my phone!

And now 31! I have issues with that that I didn't have with turning 30. I couldn't begin to fathom why.





Lily's 6th Birthday

Lily turned 6, so we were in the woods just like last year.

Only this time they were all a bit bigger. This big one at times almost indiscernible from the adults, and last years babies up and everywhere. The slightly advanced years of the older little ones was really noticeable, as they were all just that little bit more independent. Disappearing off in groups and running their own games with little input or awareness from the adults.

We all bought food and Frankie cooked pasta on the chimenea. What a brilliant outside stove that thing is.

Sneji brought salads and a really yum bean, garlic and mushroom salad that reminded me of France.

I made a coconut, blueberry and cacao torte and widely publicised that fact that it was not only raw but also good for you. Despite this, the men still ate a huge portion of it. I would have been pleased that it had been so well received, had it not meant there was considerably less for us, and nothing in the way of leftovers.

Lily's birthday present began life like this,

and ended up like this. Again, no working camera and reliance on my phone for photos really takes it's toll! especially on a dusky May evening in the woods.

Lily looked perfect in trousers and skirt and crocs and mud and leaf litter. I always think a girl misses out if she doesn't end her birthday party with leaf litter in her hair. Beats a tiara any day.

And just before bed we went to the end of the woods and released a purple sky lantern. We all made a wish for Lily as it floated up into the evening sky. Well, we all tried to make a wish, but it took so long to light, and kept coming down causing Simon and Fin to dash about the neighbouring field after it, that by the time it was truly air born we were mostly doubled over with laughter. I laughed so much I cried.

Happy 6th time around the sun Lily. x

A Flying Woods Visit

We haven't been up to our friends woods for ages. I can't actually remember the last time we were here. And to be fair, we were only popping in this time as well, but it did feel so good to be back up there.



This is such a special place for all of us. And just being here in sandals and Sunshine reminded me of all the wonderful warm days of summer that are yet to come this year. All the camping and climbing and cooking and knitting and reading and playing we will do in this little piece of woodland.

And that's just here. There are so many other places that are dear to us where we spend our summer times, and so many places we haven't been yet that we hope to visit this summer.

Oooh, I can't wait!

Satisfying

It is satisfying to have such a well stocked chest of dressing up supplies that a forgotten about 'come as a fairy tale character' day can be easily accommodated. He wanted to be a pirate, so a pirate he was. I don't mean to brag but a prince, knight, elf, Robin Hood, wizard etc etc would have posed no problem either.

The only shop bought item was, fairly obviously I think, the pirate hat. Everything else had been made or commandeered for the purpose. The grey waistcoat was actually Finley's 'Great Escape' costume. Made for him from a cardi by a good friend when he was just 4 and it was his favourite film.



And it is very satisfying when you spot that a bag, made for a very good friend for Christmas, has become her 'bag'.

That's warm all over glowing satisfaction, that is.

To London

It was my very dear friends 30th last Sunday, so I went to London for a visit. I went alone, just me, no children, no husband, just me. This is the first time I have had any time off when I wasn't teaching since I was about 7 months pregnant with Fred.

I love going to see my friend. Living so far away, and both living our busy and hectic lives, we don't see nearly enough of each other. So to have a whole weekend with her was luxury.

 But the journey, oh the journey, what bliss! An hour on a bus, an hours wait at the train station, then nearly 4 hours on a train, and the same coming back! Just me and my knitting and the occasional cup of peppermint tea. I honestly enjoy the journey as much as the visit!

I don't think you can really appreciate time spent on your own until you have none. Likewise anyone who says they are bored just clearly has too much free time on their hands and a lack of imagination. I can't imagine ever getting through all the things I'd like to do to get to the point of feeling bored!

Oh, and these? They were bought in Clapham, in a sale I hasten to add, and have become my 'when you reach your target weight' reward shoes. So for now I just get them out of the box and smell them a lot! I love the smell of new shoes!