Tuesday 23 April 2013

Birthday part 2: Stanton


Sunday lunch at my dads and Step-mums….what could be better?  Nothing, that's what.


 My dad cooked a fantastic roast and I indulged until my belly was groaning, on roast tatties and chicken.

That could only mean one thing after the waist stretching meal….a long, brisk walk across the fields.


To show he doesn't always sleep, here's the little firecracker.  On walks he just doesn't stop running… (and yes, had the great indignity of being on the lead of shame…well, you know what happened last time we were at my dads.)


Dennis also got in on the action, bless his wobbly bottom.



Man…it was windy.  Howard nearly got blown away.


Through field and field we walked, until we got to this rather majestic tree.  Then home we turned.


Thankfully Little man had drawn arrows in the ground with the giant stick he found.  I don't know what we would have done without it….perhaps forever be walking around fields, unable to find our way home.


Grandpa and Ol are two peas in a pod and never tire of things to talk about.



Back at my dads, it was time for tea and cake……oh yes….much cake…!


The sun was high in the sky and we basked in the garden, soaking ourselves in the warmth.





Look at my fantastic cake.  A gluten free carrot cake. 

A good carrot cake is hands down my favourite cake….Janne didn't disappoint with this bad boy.  


So good….!


There we sat, in the sun until it was time to go home.

It was a fantastic Sunday.




Tomorrow my tiny man turns one.  I'm a bit overwhelmed, really.  I don't think it possibly can have been a year……



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Monday 22 April 2013

Birthday part 1: (Ickworth)



Hello there.  

Do you like my handiwork with a "gif maker" (yes, the words are gibberish to me too…)


I've been meaning to post this for a couple of weeks, when as you can see the weather was greyer, but haven't had the time to write the words.

It was my birthday at the start of April, but as I was celebrating a wonderful friends impending nuptials in the form of her hen do on my actual birthday, my much loved family celebration had to wait, and be split up over a few occasions………..not that I'm complaining…more birthday means more cake, surely?!


Of course, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  I wanted to go, with whoever could make it, to Ickworth.  My closest, and favourite, National trust destination.

It was just me, my boys, my mummy and my brother on that weekday afternoon……ok…day planning wasn't my forte, but I needed to get out and it wasn't raining.


You see this tree?  (Of course you do, I've put a picture of it up….)  This is one of the oldest trees on the Ickworth estate, said to be over 500 years old.  

We had to frisk Ben, my brother, to make sure he wasn't concealing a chainsaw somewhere on his person.  He tells me that he thinks this tree is far older than 500 years, but who am I to know….?  I just smiled and nodded.


Which way should we go?

I was optimistic and picked the long way around.  We managed to get a good majority of the way around before my little man started complaining of tired legs.

Thankfully the lure of cake at the end was enough to keep him going.  (I think Uncle Ben's shoulders might have also helped.)

There are a few little huts like this dotted about the walk.  They're an endless source of enjoyment…and not just for small people.



Dogs have to be kept on leads at Ickworth when there are lambs, so the dreaded flexi-leads came out…..! 
(On a side note, look how much trimmer Fat Dennis is looking, bless him…..can you see the formings of a waist…..no?  Go away then…*hurmph*)


This is why I hate them so much…..!

It happened more than once, with both Spaniels…..


Secret worlds through hedges were found.  



Gosh I love the imagination that small people have.



In the woodland there were small pockets of green among the sun-starved vegetation.  

These poor daffs were trying to wake up, but were still oh so sleepy.


I'm sure if I were to go tomorrow (actually that's a good idea) then they'd be open and smiling at us.


Along the trail there are opportunities to be fit and healthy…..I know…why bother….!  The idea being you can run the trail with the equipment dotted along it.

Ben and Oli had a lot of fun with them…..although Oli had to help Uncle Ben with a few of them.


Show off….!


(I might be able to do it if I had someone to sit on….)



Again……what a show off!!


I love this tree.  It really doesn't know what it's doing. 

It might not win any beauty contest but it's a complete individual, and stands out as such.




A few signs of flowery dots around the woodland showed that spring was trying to grace us with her face, but there wasn't much.


It "smelled" of green, though, so many a deep breath, savouring the scent, was taken.



The views are gorgeous, with or without the blue of the sky.


So, there we have it…..!  Finished out walk, ready for tea and cake. 

Uncle Ben with a tired legged Little man, and Grandma with a tired, cold Tiny man.

Part 2, coming tomorrow. (I need to get this out before Wednesday, as it's a rather special someone's BIG birthday……the big 1!)

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Friday 19 April 2013

Rain rain go away…..please…!


I seem to have the uncanny ability to predict what the weather is doing at that exact moment in time.

I'm not sure how I do it but it's a pretty incredible gift.

Right now…….I'm 99.5% sure that it's raining.  How do I know, you ask?  Special powers.
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Thursday 18 April 2013

Monday 15 April 2013

Springtime sunshine


I know I sound like a weather report at the moment, but I hope you understand and share my joy about the matter…..SUNSHINE has arrived……!


Little man still has a few days left of the spring holiday (I think he's had four weeks off….I don't remember holidays being that long when I was a small person.)  There's only so much lego you can play with before you NEED to get outside into the sunshine, and I was more than happy to oblige him.

I bundled up a blanket, a basket of toys and the two small people and out we went.

We didn't get very far….just to the green (well, I get to take a mug of tea out with me, which is easily replenished when there's a kettle only meters away)



Little man ran around playing games with sticks (I think a couple might have been guns, but he promises they weren't guns…just sticks *yeah, yeah, Ol, of course they were*.

Tiny man and I sat on the rug and watched the running and jumping.  It's quite tiring watching so much exercise.  I'm pretty sure that it counts as exercising myself……no?

Tiny man is getting less tiny.  As you can see, he's got some big boy shoes (and has shown his prowess at standing completely unaided.  Not only that…..he's about to turn the big 1……!  Where on earth has this past year gone?  I'm really not sure.


He's pretty good at lounging…I think we could all take note from little Huggy bear on how to relax properly.


He was also a great hinderance help with my crochet.  

Wool is fun…who knew?


Speaking of crochet.  I'm having so much fun with this blanket.



It's growing remarkably quickly….even though I made it wider than intended.  (Oh well…every boy needs an 150cm wide blanket…single bed or not.) 




I love these colours.   Thankfully, Oliver does too.  They're pretty, but not too pretty that they're embarrassing for a little man to have in his room.  I sneaked in two purples, but resisted the lure of a sneaky pink.  




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