A Funny Old Week

I can't believe it's been a whole week since I last blogged, we've been busy, I feel like we've done more this week than we've done all holiday mainly because the rain has been in short heavy bursts and not long drawn out wet sessions as it has been which has allowed us to get out and about without drowning.

Monday we had a mega clean, bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen in an attempt to minimise the horrid dust that is still settling from the demolition. Then we went off for a long overdue cup of tea and catch up with the lovely Lynsey and her beautiful girls. Lynsey and I met when Francesca was nearly a year old at a local playgroup and we have spent many a happy hour chatting and crafting together but since the girls reached school age we have seen less of each other as I am busy with my boys and boobie stuff and Lynsey is busy with Cuteable and Swirlyarts. We really shouldn't leave it so long next time!!

And then I took delivery of an electric breast pump, you can read more (if you're so inclined) on the other side.

Tuesday was very wet indeed, so we hid out at a friend's house and drank tea and watched Kung-Fu Panda.

Wednesday we awoke to a funny yellow light in the sky so we did a tip run, hung lots and lots of washing to dry in the garden, packed a picnic, mopped the floors and headed out to meet some friends for lunch in the park. We played football, ate sandwiches and then, against my better judgement, we allowed them to play on the 'play park' there is lots of sand and a water pump and massive swings etc. It was all very wet. And muddy. We enjoyed four hours of silliness but Francesca got so wet and muddy we had to hide her behind the prams, strip her off and put her in my friend's little girl's spare clothes (Holly is just two and potty training, hence spare clothes, a good job Francecsa is so tall and skinny or she'd have been coming home naked) to stop the hypothermia!

Before we got wet;


Thursday we ventured over to Wycoller Country Park with another picnic and some friends, we had great fun paddling through the stream, corssing bridges and rolling down the big hill;


We found a huge apple tree and spent a while with Francesca on my shoulders pulling down branches so we could harvest some apples for crumble;

Sebastian joined in too, crawling aorund the field getting wet muddy knees and finding sticks;

When we got home Elizabeth and I sat at the table and made some button bracelets and Christmas cards for a couple of fairs I have in the coming weeks;

Please tell me it's not too early to be crafting for Christmas!?

Friday the children came to join me at Baby Drop In/Clinic where I had a great morning with my BF mums and saw a lady I haven't seen for a long time, since she went back to work, and her lovely daughter.

It was brightening up nicely so we came home for lunch and hung some washing out and then headed off to the woods with a friend and her daughter (Nathaniel's girlfriend), we thought we'd pick some blackberries to go with the apples in our crumble but someone had beaten us to it. There were plenty of green ones left so we'll try again next week. They are growing really well because of all the rain but not ripening as we have had no sunshine. We paddled in the river, climbed trees, spotted carved animals and walked for miles and miles. Nathaniel and Erin found a very high climbing frame and to be honest we didn't think that they'd climb it but they did, I took this picture standing underneath with my arm stretched up, it was that high;

Yesterday we had a wonder into the town so the men folk could get their hair cut, a very brave Nathaniel waited with his Daddy and sat in the big chair and is now convinced he is grown-up as he had his hair done at the barbers!

Today we are being lazy, I got a big piece of beef reduced at the supermarket that is soaking in a bottle of wine in the oven and making the house smell devine. I am going to be Simon's lovely assistant and help him do some more battoning and boarding out in the house. Then an early night for all as we are very tired at the mo (wonder if we're coming down with something?) and restore our energy and see how much we can cram into the next three days before the girls go back to school :(

Daisie xxx

It's The Small Things

That have brightened my cloudy, miserable life this week.

Buying school shoes was much less of a trauma than I had expected, with one daugter wearing an EE fitting and the other in a H it can be sad sometimes that they have so little choice in good fitting school shoes, shoes they wear everyday. They both had four or more pairs to choose from today and everyone came out of the shop happy.

Then we went welly shopping (for park/woodie adventures next week) and again each child got a pair that not only fit but that they liked too!

And then I had to have a little lookie in the sale pile and look what I found;


Super bargain they were too!!

And then I found these with no tag;


But they lovely lady at the till said I could have the white pair for the same price as the pink ones;

Two pairs of new shoes!

And the best bit?

The tag;

Happy days ;)

Daisie xxx

A Grand Day Out

We have had lots of short dashes to the park inbetween showers. I am totally sick of the rain, with the house like a building site it would be wonderful to have time to flit in and out of the garden and to have the door open to just come and go and make our usable living space seem a little bigger. Bah and pish to the british summer :(

We had a vaguely sunny day (only rained for two quite heavy but short bursts) and we set out to a different park with my fellow peer supporter, Laura and her two children Daisy and Bowan;


Francesca always did want a little sister;


We saw some lovely rabbits and some chickens too;

And we caught this lovely shot when Bowan shared his hat with Nathaniel;

And there was, of course, time made for swinging;

A lovely day!

Daisie xxx

My Little Workie Man

Nathaniel is loving the renovations, he likes to help, he has his wheel barrow, which was put to great use the day we filled the skip, he has his own 'measure' and 'level' and likes to poke his screwdriver into holes. He also likes to climb ladders;

Which is very very scary!!

Work has slowed down somewhat beacuse Simon is back at work. We are boarded out upstairs and my FIL has replaced the old bathroom door (that was cut at an angle at the top to fit the badly made hole many years ago, because we have taken the wall down we could make a square hole for it, looks much better), most of downstairs has been battoned out so the walls will be straight with proper corners, no more slanted bookshelves for us!! With the walls to finish, plaster and a new floor to lay we're not expecting to start decorating until the October half term holiday. Simon will plod on doing bits after work and during weekends. It will be worth it (she says repeatedly as she rocks in the corner).

Yesterday was a relaxed affair, Elizabeth and I are planning a late night cinema adventure together later in the week so we just had friends visit and we made cake yesterday. Prue Leith's amazing chocolate and orange cake;

And for the non human chocolate eaters amongst us an orange sponge with orange buttercream on top;

Seb has his first slice of birthday cake and enjoyed it although he lacks finesse;

There have been some crafting activities but they are for presents so I'll share them at a later date.

Daisie xxx

My Elizabeth

Elizabeth is beautiful and has amazing deep brown eyes that change depth of colour with her mood, she has too many big teeth for her small mouth which is making them crooked at the moment and makes me think they'll end up just like mine. Her hair is getting darker as she gets older, she is clever and funny and great company. She is a fierce friend and a fantastic big sister.

When we converse it is like looking into a mirror and like talking to one too whcih I find enchanting and infuriating in equal measure.

Thank you Elizabeth for helping to shape me into the mother I am today, for teaching me things I never dreamed I could learn, for loving me even when I am cross with you, for knowing when to crack a joke and when just to be near me.

Happy 9th birthday my beautiful baby.

A Lovely Day At The Farm

Yesterday we went to Thornton Hall Farm on a big bus (Nathaniel's almost favourite bit) with other families from the centre, we didn't even get that wet, a first for the school summer holidays!

Francesca made friends with a Donkey;



We met some lovely brown eyed calfs (calves?);



We hid from the big black cloud as it emptied it's contents on us in the barn and had a good hour playing while the rain pelted the roof;

We had a ride on the catapillar;

Met a big stag;

More catapiller (Mr Stag got in the middle there somehow?);

Met Rooster the horse, he is huge;

Were greeted by a Llama or two (one of which head butted Elizabeth but am sure she'll tell all on her blog as soon as she gets her nose from her book);

Said hello to some goats;

It was a lovely day, it wasn't too cold or windy, the rain was heavy but didn't last for long and I finally feel like we have done something vaguely 'holidayish'. With the rain everyday, the 15 degree temps and the building work life hasn't felt very summery or holidayish.

Today will be less pleasant as the girls are at the dentist in a little while but if the rain that is falling now stops we may make it to the park or the woods this afternoon for an explore....

How Clean Is Your House?

Probably cleaner than mine was this morning;

When we left to sleep at my Mum's we taped up the bedrooms to keep out all the dust and yuck. We left the bathroom open so the men folk could pee. It got so bad we left 'I love you' notes in the grime;

An hour and several buckets of hot water later it's a little cleaner;

There is loads more cleaning to do and I'll be back with a building update soon. It's going quite slow but steady so no complaints but I think we have all reached our limit now. We can't wait for a hot bath and a good night's sleep in our own beds!

Daisie xxx

Ours Is A Nice House Ours Is

I remember my Mum singing;

Ours is a nice house ours is

It's got no rats or mouses

The roof's on the top of our pretty little shack

The front's at the front

The back's at the back

Ours is a nice house ours is

It's got no rats or mouses

I don't know where it comes from but I always sing it in my head when I aproach my home, which now has a new front door;


I'm not a big PVC fan but we had one fitted at the back and it keeps out all the drafts and noise and keeps in all the warm and is cheaper than a new hard wood equivilant so it kinda won the arguement. I had a bit of a panic when our lovely window guy dragged it from his van 'I don't like it!' and I did have a wobble and wanted to cry but now it's in I rather like the look.

There is a new window in this big hole too;

And I'm sure the whole operation wouldn't have gone quite so well without the help of a little man taking up residence in the van with his tool box;

And the help of this lovely man has been priceless, my brilliant, hard working, generous, kind father-in-law;

And Simon is still smiling (think it's mania now though, rather than happiness);

Daisie xxx

You know when you can't see through the bloody awful mess and dust and never ending demolition the wood for the trees?

That's when it's time to say 'sod the rain' and set off on an adventure;

There is joy and peace to be found in swinging;

And group swinging;

And a smile to be had when you find some magic yarn bombing;

And it's good to feel tired from the exercise and not from never ending mind ache;

And it's good to see how busy one's hubby can be while you play in the park;

Even though it fills me with guilt. Thanks Simon.

Daisie xxx