Hooking...

The big 70s blanket of great brown-ness is still on the hook. I knocked a third off the finished size of it in order to actually finish it one day, so now I'm in the home straight. I have 16 four round grannies left to make, then it is sewing in the ends (not looking forward to that) and joining.

In between squares I have finished a few other things too. More of those to come. Must update my Ravelry pages too.

Gosh there's a lot of catching up to do after the summer hols!

Back

I have discovered that I find the keeping of this blog of mine easier via my phone. I hardly touch the computer these days. Except to look at Pinterest. So. I have reinstalled Blogger on my phone and am looking forward to blogging again. There is so much to catch up on, not least about a hundred crocheted FO's and the general rowdiness that is life.

Back soon...

Snapshots::

Quite.

Snapshots::

Big Bunny, happily situated...x

Snapshots::

W, up a hill, taking it easy (and ignoring Miss T pooing in her knickers. Twice. And Toot and I having to clear her up with one tissue until a helpful and much amused Random Dad stepped in with a packet of wipes and a nappy bag. Bless you kind sir).

 Waiting for the Cascade

 Paddling at Chatsworth. I wanted to do this last time we went, but we weren't allowed. So Much Fun!

 Rolling...

Textures...

 

Cable cars...

Holes to peer through...

Princesses and castles and...

Knights and swords and axes and...

Cavaliers.

And a cracking Indian meal, a terrible (worst ever!) Chinese meal, a very fine steak and stilton pie, some fabulous homemade cakes and afternoon teas, warming soup, bacon and eggy breakfasts, coffee coffee coffee and six great nights sleep, aided by one bottle of peaty loveliness that is Laphroig whisky.

Holidays...aren't they great?

x

Snapshots::

The Secret Garden...x

Rollin'

Me, an upended footstool, twelve balls of cotton, a chip basket for yarn ends and a large glass of cold white wine:

Next comes the fun part...x

Snapshots::

Leaping!

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Girl in a tube

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Watching lemurs at the zoo.

Snapshots::

The Tower of London is one of my favourite places. When I worked in Whitechapel I used to go there before my late shifts started and sit in the grounds to read a book for an hour.

I love living by the sea, but I really miss London...x

Life..

I seem to be struggling to stay afloat in these long summer holidays. There is so much time to fill, but little of it to be filled with Me Stuff. I am on hold until September.

Anyway, it's okay, right? I am trying to make myself remember the 90/10 rule of childcare: They are good 90% of the time and hideous for 10% and I need to try and remember the 90 and forget the 10.

So, my posts until school starts will be snapshots of Good Stuff and not a lot of wordage. Normal service will be resumed when normal service is resumed!

The red arrows at Lowestoft airshow. Cool.

Summer Holidays: Week 1: Part 4

:: Just found this languishing in my drafts pile::

On Friday we visited another friend and the bears went wild in her garden for a few hours. In the evening W joined us and the next morning we went out on the Broad on a boat trip- another thing I've been meaning to do for 14 years.

 A bit of duck and swan feeding followed- always a hair-raising experience with four, particularly near deep water. We had to line them up and make them take turns as I refused to leap in and rescue anyone.

That night W and I went out for dinner. What a complete treat that was! We don't often take advantage of babysitting offers because we have so many children we just tend to feel guilty, but once in a while it is soooo lovely to spend a bit of time together without anybody small and sticky joining us.

(Me after a bit too much wine!)

We went to a village pub near Papa and Toot's house and had the most marvellous meal, a little too much wine and a wander around Suffolk in the dark while W insisted we could walk to the train station.

We couldn't, we gave up, we got a lift.

x

Bouncing Bears

A hot day with bouncy castles and friends in the park. Perfect.

Summer Holidays: Week 1: Part 3

On Thursday we went to meet a friend and her little boy at a railway park. It did not start well- Custard fell in a pond within 10 minutes of our arrival. Luckily the weather was unexpectedly lovely so he dried out fairly swiftly and Toot made us a cracking picnic. We sat in the sun and the kids climbed on the old engines:

What does he look like?!

Then we had a few goes on the Merry-go-round:

And a ride on each of the steam trains:

It was a lovely day out and just right for smallish kids.

I had made one mistake however: All the kids have grown, so I bought them all a pile of new clothes. New clothes and a day climbing on steam trains and eating lollies do not mix. Toot spent most of the evening Vanishing all their T-shirts. She's brill.

They messed around at bedtime again quite spectacularly. Shocker. Toot and I went out to Tescos to escape- Wooo!

*****

Since being back home my children have been even wilder, if it is possible. I feel like that old Fast Show character, "Can any of you actually hear me?" Frustrating.

We have been out and about meeting friends and running around the park, but the time does seem to be passing quite slowly. The house seems to be FULL of noise and movement, not to mention Stuff and Grot and the kids are all bad tempered because when we are at home there is nowhere to go and be Alone. They don't seem to be old enough to understand the beauty of going upstairs and closing your bedroom door.

And I guess it is the same for me. Our downstairs is pretty open plan, so wherever I am I can see or hear what they are up to, and frankly, even if I did shut my bedroom door someone would fling it open with a bang and a shriek within about ten seconds.

Anyway, it is good to be at home and have no list of stuff to do. (that's not true. There is a list. I'm ignoring it). No time constraints. To be at leisure.

I wish they would do it a bit more quietly, that's all.
x

Summer Hols: Week 1: Part 2

On Wednesday we decided to have a day on the beach. I have spent 14 years visiting Papa and Toot's neck-of-the-woods and I have never once had a sunny day to enjoy their beautiful sandy beaches. It is beyond a joke. Anyway, we thought that whatever the weather, we'd do it.

It was not promising. Toot and FHB did some kite flying, while the rest of us hunkered down behind the wind break. Custard did a lot of rolling around and digging.

After a few hours of Needing-a-jumper-weather, the sun came out. Finally! 14 years! Of course we had no swimmies with us, but one of the brilliant things about being very young is the ability to strip down to your pants and run into the sea.

FHB built a city:

And I enjoyed the view of the North Sea and the sand between my toes. Our beach at home is fab, but soft sand is extra special.

The only thing that could be said to have marred the day was the inability of my children to go to sleep that night. Gosh they messed about for a long time. Even Toot shouted at them, and that is unheard of.

x

Summer Holidays: Week 1: Part 1

The last week or so of term is always hideous- that I was prepared for. What I had forgotten is the hideousness of the first few days off. My children are always vile. They have been WILD this week, bad tempered, tired-beyond-tired, more inclined towards violence than normal, excessively shouty and always slightly sweaty. They all have purple eyes and look as if they need more vegetables. I am sure they save this for when they see their grandparents.

Anyway...the day school finished we headed down to the beach for a fish'n'chippy tea. W told me off for being grumpy. Custard sat in the ketchup.

Going well.

The weekend was a quiet one, because this week following has been FULL.

On Tuesday we went to the Science Museum. Oh. My. Goodness.

I see, looking at the photos that it looks as if we had a nice time. I am sure the kids did. I sort of didn't really. They were literally climbing the walls (I kid you not. They were panelled and proved too much of a temptation for my boys).
With four children there is usually at least one having a good day. Not so on Tuesday. It started with FHB and Custard having a full blown punch-up in the back of Papa and Toot's car and degenerated from there. I shall not dwell on it any more as I can feel my stomach clenching and the stress returning.

Look, there were steam engines:

And the Apollo command capsule. My dad was Very Excited by this. So was FHB. My dad suggested buying him a one way ticket for the next flight. A Good Idea, I thought.

On Tuesday evening we drove up to Papa and Toot's house. To be continued...x

Holibobs

I am staying at Papa and Toot's with the bears for a week. The bears are being truly Wild, but still, we are having a LOT of fun!

X

Busy times

Hello! I have a load of photos sitting in my email, but I can't download them for some reason, so a little substitution will henceforth occur:

It is the first Monday of the summer holidays. We have mislaid one of the Wii remotes, FHB and the Mouse have been fighting like mortal enemies for three days, the house is a filth pit from the depths of Hades, there are a lot of Hama beads underfoot making life a little uncomfortable without shoes and it is not quite pay day. Good start.

So today will herald a ferocious clean-up and the arrival of Papa and Toot this afternoon. Hallelujiah! Tomorrow we are all going to meet my Dad at the Science Museum to see the Apollo rocket. FHB is very excited.

In the mean time...

:: I apologise for writing crappy short phone blogs- I don't know where my time has gone, but the phone seems to be the way to continue blogging through busy times.

:: I have started three new crochet projects and finally finished all the large grannies needed for my blanket. Just 123 4-round squares to go. A crochet catch-up will follow at some point.

:: We have had some lovely afternoons on the beach- impromptu times, in school uniform, no towels, no way of drying off dingbat boys who insist in going in up tot heir shoulder fully clothed.

:: Fish n chips have also been consumed on the beach. W is working on the far side of London at the moment, which makes for a long commute and little time with the kids on week days. Whenhe can get away a little early we meet up on the shore for a picnicky tea and a run around in the fresh air. Last time, Custard sat in the ketchup.

:: My yarn habit is persisting. I have about 200 new balls of the stuff. Most of it is already earmarked and I am wondering if I could get away with going back for a third time.

:: FHB seems unable to sit down. Small boys should come fitted with restraining bolts like R2-D2.

:: The bears have discovered Home Alone. I am subjected to re-enactments of the aftershave scene about twenty times a day. It is very noisy.

:: I am tired already. You can't rest and regroup when you have four children- they need to go out every day and run around like puppies. I need a week somewhere sunny, flopped by a pool with a book, a hook and my husband only.

:: Then perhaps another week with the kids too.

x

Oops I did it again

So I went back to the wool shop. I rarely get to buy posh yarn as I can't justify the cost- anyway, I now have enough to keep me hooking for a couple of years:

Oops!

This morning I went to town to buy a bit of ribbon. I had to modify my Summer Breeze slightly and I thought the ribbon would be just the thing. More of that another day...

The wool shop had a sale.

Oh. Dear.

:: 10 balls pink dk Patagonian hand dyed cotton
::  10 balls pink and blue chunky of the same
:: 10 balls Orange same
:: 10 balls oatmeal same
:: 10 balls dark brown same
:: 10 balls Orange and yellow same
:: 15 balls denim Sublime organic merino chunky
:: 15 balls oatmeal same.

I went in to spend 40p and came out 90 quid lighter!

It's all so scrummy, I'm going to gaze at it and stroke it all for a bit before I use it. Mmmm.

X

Pinkness

Look what W treated me to last week...

**Squeal**

I am in love...

Thank Goodness It's Friday!

Like seemingly everyone else in the world at the moment, I am struggling to find time for anything other than school activities. We are all suffering from tiredness and grumpiness and a need to do nothing for a week or two. Five days of school left...

Amongst all the school stuff I managed to finish making a blouse and shorten some trousers today. I also did some therapeutic baking and am now going to have a jolly good sit down...x

Big day out for Bears

Being gluttons for punishment, the day after taking the bears to London, Papa, Toot, W and myself took the bears to our local beachy theme park. W's brother, our sister-in-law and our niece joined us too as it is Tink's Best-Day-Out-Ever place.

We had a fab day- lots of rides, a slap-up fish 'n' chip lunch courtesy of Papa, more rides, ice cream, more rides. After about five hours, the little ones were exhausted. There were tears. While everyone else went home for tea and a bath, Toot and I stayed out with the boys for another hour and a half, during which I had to have another go on the hair-raising upside-down-twisty-turny rollercoaster from hell with FHB. He was a very excited boy because it was the first time he had been big enough to go on the grown-up rides.

Now, I love a rollercoaster, but going on one with a very skinny seven year old is scary. I knew he was at no risk of falling out, but even so, I was hanging on to him all the way round incase he slipped his skinny little body through the safety seat. Heart in mouth time for me!

Anyway, all was well, obviously, and he had a tremendous time. His favourite bit was when he made me go on the water flume and I got soaked from my waist down. He owes me a bag of donuts for that!

x