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