Rick Stein's for supper

Right, we're off. Just got to throw the last few things into a bag and that's it, Cornwall here we come. 1.5 hours down the road. No long distance for us this year, no airport delays, baggage handling or jet lag just a quick saunter down the A39 and Bob's your uncle, hahahaha. Can't wait to get there and unwind. It's been a hell of a week I can tell you and I am soo ready for a break. Rick Stein's for a fish and chip supper? I'll let you know all about it when I get home.

Enjoy the last week of the hols. Just think it will soon be over and our little darlings will be back in the loving care of the LEA, God bless them! Enjoy Pin It

Mr Rubbish Bin Head!

Holly and Alfie in their swimmers
Alfie went to his (free) Holiday Fun Club yesterday and today. It is run by the Church and is held in the Village Hall. Now I don't usually 'do' religion due to a traumatic brush with it in childhood, but loads of his friends were going and he goes to a church school anyway and quite frankly I'm desperate. The Moonies could take him for all I care! A bit of religion might do the boy some good, put the fear of God into him. He came home very happy and told us all about Mr Rubbish Bin Head who swears and you musn't swear (I quite agree) . Later that evening when Paul said 'bloody' Alfie told him off severely and when Paul laughed he said "I'm serious Dad". Cool, it's working. He is there for 2 hours every day this week, oh joy.

Our friends Lisa and Conrad came over for the afternoon with their daughter Holly (who is Alfie's number 1 girlfriend). Lisa brought back the props she had borrowed for the North Devon Show. She gave me a gorgeous pink enamel jug she had bought me on holiday. We spent a lovely afternoon together and they stayed for a chinese take-away and drinks. Lisa and I laughed so much our sides hurt and we were crying. It must have been the wine. I know I spoke a lot a crap, whoops I had better be careful Alfie and Mr Rubbish Bin Head will be after me! Pin It

Diamond Decorators (otherwise known as Bodge it and Scarper)

Paul is decorating the old music room/soon to be new living room. It is getting worse before it gets better and Paul assures me that it will be ok in the end. Our house is so old that every time he fixes something, large pieces of it fall down! Our house is built of lath and plaster and it is scary to see the bare bones of your home. Still it will be worth it to have another room to escape to and have an end to all those TV watching rows. If Hippo and Hubby run out of things to do on their home they are more than welcome here, hehehehe. Pin It

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Polka dot babe

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love polka dots, well Lizzy has just become the best accessory a polka dot loving girl could have. Yep she's got chicken pox! I was 26 when I got it, she a mere 5 months. The girl is in a hurry I tell ya. She is smothered, poor baby, but is still as placid and calm as ever. She is the most easy going child I have ever known. Pin It

Better than Starbucks

Today my daughter made me a cup of the nicest cappucino I have ever tasted. She has a new job in a restaurant/art gallery in Appledore. It's a classy joint and when I picked her up this afternoon she made me a lovely coffee. I'm so proud of her. The owners are thrilled with her and she loves it there. Oooh and they make the most delicious carrot cake ever, dangerous!! Pin It

Sunny Sunday

I'm so tired. Have had too much sun I think. We did a boot sale today and it was very hot. Got rid of some stuff and made some cash for our holiday fund. I feel quite headachey and tired so I will blog more tomorrow. Night :-) Pin It

Reality and Creativity

I got this gorgeous piece of vintage fabric through the post and have been stroking it and looking at it longingly for days. So decided I must make myself a little bag for my holidays. I already had the polka dot which contrasts perfectly with the blue polka dot hats in the fabric. I am quite pleased with it. What do you think? Pin It

Dud or dude?

Alfie was wearing his 'Dude' T-shirt yesterday but because of the camera angle or the sun it only says 'Dud'. I have often suspected this! Pin It

Top 5 fave current tracks

My top 5 for Hippo

1. 7 days in sunny June - Jamiroquai (such a summer choon)
2. Love on my mind - Freemasons (makes me wanna dance)
3. Dare - Gorillaz (nice to hear Shaun Ryder again)
4. The importance of being Idle - Oasis (just fab)
5. Tom Cat - Muddy Waters (from a free Chess cd on Mojo Magazine - simply brilliant)

But on the other hand ...............................There could be 5 more tomorrow :-) Pin It

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Messing about on the river

Another glorious summer day yesterday. Belting hot sunshine but with a gentle sea breeze, perfect. After spending the morning in the garden sitting on my new deckchair (well for 5 minutes anyway, after cleaning and refilling the pool, playing top trumps with Alfie, hanging out washing, feeding baby etc) we went on a boat trip up the Torridge estuary. Alfie went on the same boat trip with his school and the boat was surrounded by dolphins who were attracted by the warmer waters we now have here. Sadly this time there were no dolphins but it was a fabulous trip nonetheless. It's amazing how much of your local scenery you miss by only using the roads. We saw deserted little beaches and coastal paths that I never knew existed. The only downside to the trip was that Alfie suddenly announced that he needed a wee and cried most of the journey back. Is it only me but when I told this to a friend of mine, (who has 4 boys), Paul and Mum, they all said couldn't he wee over the side? I wasn't sure this was the done thing on a boat full of people, mostly well-to-do older people. I think I still need guidance re: boys!

When we got back to Appledore we decided that the evening was far too good to waste by just going home so we phoned Paul and told him to get himself over once he had finished work. We also phoned mum who goes to the beach across the estuary to pop over as I knew she had never been to Appledore. We went to get some bait for crab fishing as this seemed to be the favourite pasttime of all the dads and kids on the quay. Paul loves to catch the little soft green crabs with the children and then let them go again. We then bumped into my friend Lesley with 2 of her 4 boys and she said that her husband was coming later too so while we were waiting we went to the park so that the boys could play together. She is an amazing woman. 2 of her 4 boys are autistic and yet she is always happy, bubbly and upbeat. When I talk to her I realise that I have it easy and Alfie isn't so bad. I think I need to spend more time with people who have boys. Most of my friends have girls and it just isn't the same. Like I said, I need more guidance. Mum turned up, (it had taken her an hour by bus!), and we took Alfie to paddle in the slipway and to watch the mad crazy fools who throw themselves off the side of the quay. By the time Paul turned up it was time to eat. We found a pub overlooking the estuary and ordered our food. Lesley, her husband and now 3 of her boys turned up and they joined us at the end of a perfect summer day. I took some photos but the camera battery ran out so there are none of the beautiful sunset or of the lights twinkling across the estuary at Instow but believe me it was a beautiful evening. Pin It

My Family

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Chubby Bubby

Well our news today is that Lizzy had her first proper dinner. After a breakfast of baby rice she progressed to a supper of organic carrot and apple lovingly prepared and pureed by Jasmine. Jazz has been desperate to get in on the feeding thing as she thinks of Lizzy as her dolly! As you can see from the photo Lizzy thoroughly enjoyed it. We have also detected her first little razor sharp tooth which might account for a few tearful moments (unusual for her). My little pumpkin is growing up too fast. Pin It

Our house, in the middle of nowhere

Our house is being painted at last. Hoorah!

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Fabric frenzy

Brilliant boot sale yesterday. Got some of the loveliest fabrics. Very old 40's/50's from the same old lady all in fab condition and only £3.00. I also got a wonderful vintage striped deckchair for £1.50. I may even sit in it later on! But before that I need to tackle the ironing pile which has once again grown out of control and is spreading across the kitchen floor, pity me :-/ Pin It

Family Days Out

We have had such a busy week. I had several angels of mercy who called to take Alfie out for the day and on Tuesday he had 'boy day' with his dad who took him to the dinosaur park. This left Jazz, Lizzy and I to have 'girl day' but don't tell Alf! On Thursday we spent the day with my father, his wife and kids. We went on a day trip to Lynton and Lynmouth. It was a beautiful route with the most stunning scenery, absolutely breathtaking, and glorious weather to boot. We started the trip by going on a steam train ride which was very funny as they have only managed to rebuild 1/2 a mile of track, so just as we were settling down and enjoying the ride it was over! Then we drove to a place called the valley of the rocks which was a stunning place and looked very similar to the highlands of Scotland with big boulders, heather, gorse and wild mountain goats. We stopped at a place called Mother Meldrums for a cream tea (very North Devon!) before setting off again for Lynton and Lynmouth. When we got there I took the kids on the funicular railway. The views were amazing and you could see Wales across the water. It was a lovely day and I enjoyed spending time with my Dad and his family.

View to Lynmouth

Alfie being an Ninja on the train

Cream Tea

Funicular Railway

On Friday I took the children to Taunton to spend some time with Paul's family. Grandpa took the boys off while us girls had some retail therapy with Paul's mum, sister and her daughter. It was funny seeing Taunton after all these years. I grew up there moving away in 1988 to live in London with Paul. It has changed a lot since then. It is more sophisticated and affluent than it used to be. I kept looking at young people thinking I recognised them but then realised that old friends and aquaintances would be forty something like me!!!! I was pointing out all my old hangouts to Jasmine who thought it was all quite sad really. I guess it was, but we thought we were cool at the time, ho hum! Ooooh on the way there I got a message from my 1/2 sister who recently got in contact with me after 5 years and I asked her if she wanted to meet up with us as we were going to drive through her town. It was an emotional meeting. She is gorgeous, a tall, pencil slim, green-eyed, red haired, 16 year old beauty. She cried and was shaking as I hugged her. It was very brief as she still hasn't found the courage to tell her mum that she has been in touch. I can't wait to see her again.

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Mmmmmmmmmm

Guess where I went this week?

I had one for you Tats!

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Wine and Roses

Roses around our front door

It appears there has been some sabotage to my profile. I left my blog on my desktop and put Alfie to bed, while I was away Paul decided to add a few things to my profile. He added that I liked Power Rangers (God I hate them) and that Alex Ferguson's autobiography was a favourite book (haven't read it). He also changed the spelling of Country Life to mean something quite different. Hmmmmmm :-/ Such a rude boy. Sorry if you missed it, still, it amused some people!

We've had a lovely day. Alf had a party this morning. We went out for lunch then home for a home made cream tea in the sun and then wine. It is 8.30pm and it is still sunny. Paul's family came today so after lunch Paul, his dad and the kids went to the laser site while us girls came home and talked fabric and buttons (well it amuses us). Paul's sister is one of the most gorgeous looking women I have ever seen and Paul's mum is beautiful too. It is easy to see where my children get their scrummy looks. I was feeling quite slim until they turned up! Alfie had a great day with his cousins and has gone to bed over tired and emotional. It's all been too much for him. Lizzy has been fussed and cooed over and all in all it's been a nice family day. Pin It

Paul's new woman

I found Paul giggling in the hallway with this beauty!! Apparently she is needed for one of his paintball games tomorrow. Hmmmmmmm! Pin It

Country Fair Daze

Lisa's Stall

Lisa and Alf give it the thumbs up

Alf being a Ninja in front of Lisa's stall!!!!

Oh I am finding it hard to make time for blogging. Everybody wants a piece of me and by the time they are all asleep I am too knackered to think straight.

So, what have I been up to? Went to the North Devon Show with the kids. I met lots of people that I know as well as my Dad and his wife. Alfie acted like a prize twit just to embarrass me. He and Jasmine rowed the whole time. It's sooo humiliating. Saw Lisa and her gorgeous stall. She did well and sold lots of stuff. I felt quite envious of her as I miss being able to make things. I look forward to having that time again. I bought a few bits from her as well as some delicious produce from the food hall.

I got 3 great books through the post, one from ebay and the others from Amazon. They are all by Janet Bolton who I did a course with last year. She does the most gorgeous naive applique and I felt really honoured to have been taught by her. I want to do more of this type of work and think that the next project will be a sampler for Lizzie's room. Having leafed through the books I am raring to go.

Alas no time for such pleasures and today saw me cleaning out my fridge. I don't like housework, I do enough to get by and the house always looks clean enough, but think Kim and Aggie would have had a fit if they had put their noses into my fridge. The last time I cleaned it was when we moved in 18 months ago!!!!!!! There were things in the bottom that I didn't recognise. It was a job well done and once I had thrown out all the mouldy and decaying matter I realised that I needed to buy food as the shelves were now empty. So off to Sainsbury's we went, me and the three sprogs, another recipe for disaster! More public displays of humiliation for me as Alf and Jazz argue and hit each other around the store. Jeez I could have cried. I know I will laugh about this one day. Now where's that bottle of wine, sigh.................... Pin It

roll away the stone

A sea view. From our garden
Heeeeeey I have lost a stone! I am so pleased with myself. I have never lost the baby weight so quickly and being over forty I knew it wouldn't just fall off. So with a little help from Weight Watchers I am getting close to target. Jasmine finds the whole thing funny as she has been to meetings with me in the last few weeks. She pointed out that I am the youngest and thinnest in the class. But I don't care about weight actually, what I care about is fitting into the 2 wardrobes full of fab clothes in my possession. Once I do that comfortably then I am the right weight as far as I am concerned. I do not own scales and will never have them in the house. I go by the fit. I'm almost there. I celebrated by having a slice of cappuccino cake :-)

It's the North Devon Show tomorrow. My friend Lisa has a stall and has given me a free ticket. I will take the kids to see the animals and then hot foot it to the craft tent to spend the entrance money on goodies. From Lisa's stall no doubt! Pin It

Miss Diamond and her Flippity Floppity Hat

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