The heatwave continues. My solution is simple and effective.
This time last year I would have been suffering with this heat. Swollen, sweaty, jock itch and feeling totally wiped out. This year, I am happy to say, the part of me that suffered all of that is the part of me that has now been shedded!
Sleepover city! C1 went to the park at 4 yesterday afternoon with Lovely Meeeeeeea, and is not coming home until 11am today. How lovely to have such flexible friends, such a flexible mummy. She is on Victoria Sandwich duty this afternoon, however, so had better be awake by then!
Spent a lovely morning yesterday with Mummy & Daddy - some great ideas were whirling around the garden, and as I did a spot of pruning (supervised by Daddy) the nugget of an idea sprouted wings.
The bay prunings were brought home with great ideas of entrepreneurism, but all I found in the honesty box was a crust of bread! Pffft!
Today is BBQ day chez Mr 1957. There will also be some bunny-bothering, jolly times and hopefully a nice breeze coming from the hills.
Lovely morning spent with Daddy while Mummy went off doing her thing. Daddy walked up and down the 'track' at the side of the house, straw hat on, confidently stepping out, while I picked loganberries with a weather-eye on him. Then it was time for a cup of tea and a biscuit. The relaxed mood was continued with some snoozing while I listened to the soundtrack from 'Call The Midwife'
as I crocheted a blanket for my friend Hanbury Kate. It has what seems to be a beautifully chosen colour-scheme (ie random out of the stash box) which I am really pleased with.
I appear to be still harbouring a bit of a hurty thumb though, related to a cycling incident a while back. This is impeding the progress of any crochet, and it seems that knitting is not a possibility at all. I trust that it will all calm down very soon.
Having spoken to Mrs Typist at C2's school yesterday, I have now acquired 3 display boxes for my proposed craft fair ventures. They will look great covered in a tablecloth, with my makes arranged tastefully on top. They will be irresistable, and will fly off the shelves, and my little crochet world will be such a happy place.
 |
| Display box things |
Just 9 more school runs until the summer holidays - that should have an impact on the petrol bill!
Now all I need to do is sort out Furbaby Care while we are elsewhere. I have a spreadsheet!
Another glorious day.
C2 had a jolly sports day, winning a 1st for his efforts in the obstacle race, and losing with a grin when he lost his spud in the 'spud'n'spoon' race.
Pre-birthday visits from Auntie and Grandad provided C1 with some lovely birthday surprises.
Mr ASDA arrived almost immediately after the departure of the family visitors, so we now have the necessary ingredients for the Knickerbocker Glory-fest and other birthday-related 'stuff'.
A lot of fun was had by C1 and C2 in the paddling pool before, during, and after tea. Doing the 'science bit' with washing-up bowls, a bit of a vacuum and some serious bubble blowing - I am sure I am a frustrated home-schooler!!! (Calm down - it's really NOT an option!).
I am loving receiving emailed photos from Mummy.
First we had the stately demise of a beautiful rose...
 |
| THE END |
... and then, one of my favourite blends of fragrance, picked in their garden, sweet peas and clove pinks.
Beautiful summery visuals. I would like to make a crochet 'something' using these colours.
Had a lovely offer from one of C1's friend's mummy to share the transport tomorrow for the cinema excursion. I am grateful and relieved, as the quotes I had from various taxi firms were hair-raising! Offer accepted, and she will be plied with an icecream sundae with an extra cherry or strawberry when we get home!
All in all, a lovely day.
Topping this, a pitch has been found, on a site in the middle of nowhere for our 'back to basics' camping experiment, with the prospect of a more 'reasonable and comfortable' experience later this year somewhere in the Gower area. There is nothing like a spot of anticipation to make life more interesting, and this is one of those YOLO moments that I was going on about a while back. Hoorah for a chemical toilet with matching tent, a stand pipe and a stripey wind-break.
Hot!
Very hot!
So hot, that I have invested in a paddling pool for the garden. A bargain from the famous online auction site!
Took an hour to pump it up though. Our little footpump is fine for airbeds, but for a 3-tuber pool, it is a little out of it's comfort zone.
This morning's physio appointment went very well, with positive comments about my improved balance,
stance and gait, and some serious zapping with the sonic screwdriver on both knees. Instructions to take at least 2 rest days a week, from over-enthusiastic exercise routines and general wear-and-tear-inducing activity (aka life!) were met with nods of agreement.
C1 and C2 spent the day in their new classrooms (preparation for September) and with their new teachers. This is called Transition Day, or as we used to call it, 'Going Up Day'. They both enjoyed it, and I suspect that they are quite disappointed to be going back to their current year groups tomorrow, and for the remainder of this summer term (they have 7 school days left before the start of the Big Holidays).
A trip to the dentist for C1 for a sealant treatment, which went well. All good for another 6 months.
The pool is proving to be an absolute gem. Get wet, bounce on the trampoline till you are hot and sweaty, then perch on the chair, fling yourself into the air, and land in the water again. This could go on for quite a while!
It is Sports Day tomorrow for C2. I have no idea what events he is participating in, and neither, it appears, does he! There will be spectators though.
C1's birthday preparations are almost complete. The cinema trip is on.
The Knickerbocker Glory-fest is on.
There is a plan-ette for some jolly times viewing old steam engines and other stuff this weekend, and if the weather holds, a spot of BBQ (again).
Hot evening, so will be dipping my own toes in the pool as soon as The Offspring are in their beds.
Uh-ohhhhhh! Where's the sun gone?
Got a busy day today, although I meant it to be a nice quiet one. Why do we do this?
C1 has a day at school with non-uniform just for her class, and a DVD. This is down to their down-right hard work and general knuckling down, and the rest of the school has to take note of how fab 6CW are!
C2's teachers are having a training day, so he is spending the day with me. This is now going to involve a trip to town, a visit with Mummy and Daddy while a lady from social care pops in to assess whether there are any other things 'they' can do to help the situation.
After this, C2 and I will be coming home to do some jobs, including belated sunflower planting (needed to wait until the weedkiller I put there had no more power), watering our squashes and cucumbers, some serious vacuuming, dusting and polishing, and some 'putting away clean clothes'.
2 job application packs have arrived - I need to sort out my CV and apply myself.
There is still no word from Mr Landlord regarding our future tenancy here, and I am assuming for the moment that no news is good news. Although, the habit I have to see it all from the 'glass half empty' perspective is gradually fading, it does rear its ugly head occasionally.
Life goes on. I control the bits I am able to, and let the rest just be. That is the way forward for me.
YOLO - apparently this is a new acronym according to the social network sites - You Only Live Once.
Had a lovely day yesterday.
The simple pleasure of coming away from the municipal dumping ground with an empty car and trailer. All the bags of mouldy garden waste (non-compostable), nasty stinky old soil, half a ton of rubble, chipboard offcuts (too small to make into anything) and some sun-degraded sacks that have outlived their useable life. Mr 1957 has a trade waste licence for the tip, so this was a new adventure for me.
This was followed by cups of tea in the sunny garden, and some much-needed quiet time for thoughts, forward planning and bunny-watching.
C2 enjoyed his experience of an archaeological dig - his class visited the town market place, where, prior to redevelopment, the powers that be decided to excavate UNDER to find out 'stuff'. To the disappointment of C2 there were no raptor bones, but there was a lot of broken pottery, glass, metal bits and coins.
Closely followed by C2 having to retire early due to heatstroke. 12 hours of sleep later, and 2 bottles of water consumed, he is fine.
C1 had a most excellent time at her annual school sports day - a 1st in the long jump, 2nd in 200m, 3rd in 700m, 3rd in tug-of-war, and 4th in the obstacle course. And that's it! Good times for C1.
The children and I are embarking on a new way forward - involving respect, calm and listening. The consequences of not involving these things in our lives will be swiftly issued, and they know that. All seems good on day 1. Now the challenge for me is to 'keep to the paths'.
The day was completed by a visit from my friend TeenyWeeny, who's other 'arf has a trailer, into which the dismantled bed and wardrobe fitted nicely, to be turned into some raised bed thingys on her allotment. The swap was complete by TeenyWeeny giving me 4 of her very healthy cucumber plants.
Today is looking good too. Washing being done. Children fed, watered, and off to school in a minute, and a spot of 'craft-drooling' at an old needle factory in a nearby town, and further drooling at a 2nd-hand-furniture emporium in the same town with my buddy H.
I have to add, also, that this morning I hit the 8 stone off marker.
Happiness doesn't come close to how it feels.
Another glorious July morning. Made me want to just take the Klimt blanket outside and take another pic, just because. So I did.
Colours popping in the sun.
Today is Mummy dentist day. I plan to sit with Daddy and make a plan for our 'Sing for the brain' activity.
Have a visit into the town this afternoon for a meeting, which should all be over by 2. Then I can tootle Daisy Skoda over to collect C2, and await the arrival of TeenyWeeny and her brood, as we convert C1's old bed into raised beds for her allotment. Upcycling rocks my world.
Someone told me (again) today that it is C1's birthday next week. The daily countdown has commenced. Dusting down the knickerbocker glory glasses and long spoons in preparation for the after-school ice-cream bender on the day. 5 11-year-old divas straight from school for trampoline, frozen dessert, chocolate fountain and probably a sick bucket!
C2 and I will be hiding.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
