Start to Christmas

The traditional start to the Christmas festivities in our house begins when the 'Christmas First Box' (as I've labelled it(!!) comes down from the loft.  Its the box which contains the advent calendar, the Christmas CD's, and Christmas cards.  This year Jamie and Mike put up the advent calendar and so the countdown began. 

Jamie Organising the Advent Calendar after Cubs

We love our advent calendar which we have now used year after year after year and it is always a joy to get it down and set it up.  We buy little treats for Jamie to get every day, the traditional chocolate pennies (or Euros are they seem to be now!!) or little Christmas chocolate treats.  He loves it and Mike and I don't get a look in.  I love the advent calendar because we start the Christmas period with a strong reminder about what the season is all about, not the presents, the over indulgence, food, wine etc, and not even the TV specials but about the birth of a very special baby.  I think it sets a great tone for the rest of the month.

Mike and Jamie, Binnie has spotted the chocolate (but none for her it's bad for her!!)

We didn't really have to wait long either in December for the weather to become very wintry, here is a picture of Mike doing what he said he would never do which is walk Binnie in her pink coat.  You can see that we had had our first fall of snow.  It was to get a lot worse. 

Mike walking Binnie in her PINK coat



Our park looks amazing in the first snow, the pond already frozen solid



Ciao

Sue
XX
Reading challenge 15/16 - currently reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Mike Goes to Hospital for an Operation

Mike had to go into hospital for a very minor operation this week - he had been on standby for a few weeks as he was able to get in at short notice and he got a call.  He was offered a date, which sadly fell in half term holidays, but we felt better get it out of the way as soon as possible.  So off he went with his bag packed - I had to go and find him both slippers and a dressing gown - neither of which he wears under normal circumstances - nor is he likely to wear again - but he needed them for hospital.

We were all up early as he had to be at what is known as the Treatment Centre very early.  I was pretty impressed as there is a free 15 minutes drop off and collect allowed which meant there was plenty of space (parking can often be a nightmare at the hospital), everything in reception was lovely and new and most importantly of all it all appeared to be very efficient.  Mike was called in within 5 minutes of our arriving and that was that - he headed off and we had to leave him.

Jamie and I had to keep ourselves occupied for the day whilst Mike had his op, yes a minor one but of course still needing general anaesthetic etc.  And no matter how minor when it our loved ones we are always going to worry!!  After mid-afternoon we were just waiting for the call to say we could go and pick him up and then when it arrived and the Nurse said "He is ready to be collected now" - I couldn't stop myself and said "I bet he is" - not in a horrible way but I just knew he would be ready to be back at home. 

The operation had gone very well and Mike was awake and pretty comfortable when we picked him up, again the TC was incredibly efficient and we arrived and collected him within 5 minutes.  It had all gone very well, thankfully.  He got home and was surprisingly chipper, I was expecting him to be wanting to sleep for the rest of the day - but we just chilled out.  The next day and for a few days after (when the anaesthetic and painkillers wore off) he was pretty sore, but all is well and he is fine and dandy again now.

Overall we were both very impressed with the Treatment Centre at MK Hospital and feel the treatment he received via the NHS was on this occasion excellent.

That wasn't our only hospital visit as a couple of weeks later Mike's Mum broke her hip - this time the other one to the one she broke a couple of years ago.  Mike was at a Howard Jones gig in London when I got the call and so I headed over to Aylesbury - fearing the worst in terms of the hospital as it was the 6th November (the day after Bonfire Night) and a Saturday night - I was expecting a very long wait.  But  the hospital were again very efficient and had her x-rayed and processed and onto an observation ward very very quickly - so once again the treatment from the NHS was extremely quick and efficient.

So now both Mike and his Mum are recovered and recovering well respectively.

Ciao

Sue
XX

Reading challenge 15/16 - currently reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Planetarium, Greenwich and a Day in London

As Jamie has been learning all about the planets, stars and space this term, we decided to have a trip to the Planetarium in London. It had moved from where Mike and I were expecting it to be, but it had moved to Greenwich and the Royal Observatory, which made a lot of sense. We headed off into London by train, then tube and then finally by the DLR, Docklands Light Railway to Greenwich. It was a first for Jamie and I on the DLR and it was brilliant and we got to see some interesting and changing parts of London. We were even alongside Canary Wharf, which as Dr Who nuts meant lots of Dalek and Cybermen spotting (ha ha!!). It was amazing to see all of those huge huge buildings and how magnificent they look close up.


It was a short (ish) walk from the railway station to the Planetarium, through the grounds of the National Maritime Museum and then up a hill (which was a bit of a struggle for me with my cough and wheeze), once I started up the hill I wasn't stopping till I got to the top, not even for the lovely squirrels playing in the trees. The chap below, I captured later on in the day on film not literally!! The photo above is a shot of the amazing view from the top, so it was well worth it. On the right of the picture you can see the O2 or Millennium Dome as it once was, in the foreground the National Maritime Museum and behind that Canary Wharf and the other banking towers. To the left you can almost make out the Gherkin building closer to central London, so the view was totally breathtaking.

We had prebooked a couple of shows at the Planetarium, we would have liked to have done another one too, but they were a wee bit pricey for all 3 of us (2 shows was £40, a day in London can be a bit pricey with train, food, extras etc you probably don't have much change out of £200 but a jolly lovely day nonetheless), and we had timed it perfectly so a quick trip to the loo and then into the first show. The first show we saw was 'Meet The Neighbours' which was a live show, with one of the astronomers from the Observatory giving us loads of information about the nearest planets, stars and constellations to Earth and showing us what we would be able to see in the night sky at the moment. It was all really really fascinating, and watching it all on the screen above was amazing and you just felt like you were floating away into space, which is what they want you to feel in the end. Below is a picture of Jamie stood with his back against the dome of the planetarium which was a vast amount of copper or bronze or steel or some metal which made it pretty magnificent.

We then had a nice long break before our second show, which was the last show of the day so we had lots of time to explore. Our first port of call was some lunch and Mike and I decided to have some soup and it was the hottest hottest hottest soup I have ever tasted in my life - not spicy hot but hot hot!! I had leek and potato which was yummy just very hot and it took ages to cool down, Mike had spicy tomato which was hot but not as hot as mine and Jamie had a jacket potato so a lovely lunch. Then we headed out and explored the Royal Observatory, finding out about the history of the building and the people who had worked there. The weather was not too bad, lovely and bright but very cold out of the sunshine. Below Jamie is in the gardens with the Observatory behind him. One of the highlights was the Camera Obscura, where we got the very unusual view of London below us.

There is more than enough to keep you busy here for a whole day, the picture below is the Millennium clock which shows have far into the new century we are, 3700 on the day we were there. We had a wander around the little museum and the shop (of course). Mike was most fascinated (I think) to see one of the timepieces which featured in an episode of Only Fools and Horses, the one where they do eventually become millionaires. Jamie got a couple of bits and pieces including some space strawberries, dried and packaged as the astronauts would take them in the space shuttle. They tasted very much like strawberries but the texture felt a bit like cardboard and weighing almost nothing.

The other major attraction here is the Meridian line as in GMT and of course the obligatory picture had to be taken, well it had to, so we joined the longish queue. We had learnt all about the line and the reason it came into being in the museum, for sailors and then how it helped to create train timetables. Here is Jamie on the line,

and Mike and Jamie

and then all of us, well it had to be done didn't it!

After that we headed into Greenwich Park, which we will leave until a warmer day, we stopped for a coffee then had another look at the amazing view and then headed back in for our second Planetarium show of the day. This one we had told Jamie had a bit of a surprise in it for him and then whilst we were waiting to go in he said "does it have David Tenant in it", how does he guess it? It was narrated by DT. This show was called "We Are Astronomers", and was totally brilliant, it was explaining all about what Astronomers do and how technology is used in their work, and how it impacts on the world, it also explained about the Hadron Collider in Switzerland. A brilliant show and very very interesting.

When it was finished it was almost dark which was a bit weird, it was daylight when we went in. We then headed back into Greenwich and looked for somewhere to have a bite to eat. We ended up at Pizza Express which we nearly always seem to do on our days out in London, and we timed it just right, just before it got really busy. It was a lovely walk through the park and into Greenwich as there are some interesting and lovely buildings to see.

What did we have to eat, well what do we always have, Jamie had dough balls, Mike had garlic bread with cheese and I had bruschetta con fungi, for mains Jamie had pepperoni, Mike had Sloppy Giuseppi and I had Lasagne, and for pud Tiramisu for Mike and I, Chocolate Fudge Cake for Jamie. A bottle of the Pinot Grigio Blush (what else!) Cappachino and Bambichino and then we could not move. But it was our special treat for the half term!!

We got the train back very easily there was one leaving Euston about 5 minutes after we had each grabbed a magazine for the trip back and it wasn't stopping too many times so a totally lovely day all round. I would very much recommend a trip to the Planetarium and Royal Observatory and the whole area is lovely. We may head back in the summer to visit The Cutty Sark and National Maritime Museum and will watch out for this part of London if we watch the Marathon in a few weeks. A lovely day.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 10/16 - currently reading Songbird by Josephine Cox

Sunday 13th September

A family Sunday with lots going on but nothing going on if you know what I mean, one of those days we spent just pottering around with this and that! Here are some piccies of what was going on. Mike and Jamie were making a Star Wars Lego ship, which (fingers crossed) should be finished tomorrow. Binnie decided she wanted a big cuddle of Mike and was having one even if he didn't. Here he is finally caught on camera giving her a kiss, he protests that he doesn't like her, but you make your mind up!

She certainly looks quite content sat on his shoulder,

and here she is practically asleep!

Whilst Mike and Jamie were dong the Lego, I was clearing and sorting out my flower arranging stuff, which seems to have taken over! I am storing some of it in Jamie's tree house, as in the coming months I know I am going to need access to it (there is a big announcement coming - and that is a hint - more to be revealed as the week goes on!) Below are some of my plastic trays. I thought if I keep a folder of pictures of what I have I will be able to know exactly what I want from the box I keep them in - that's the theory anyway!

This is 1 of 2 frames my neighbour made for me for the Bucks Show competition, I used the arched one in the end, but this will be kept for future use, or to be borrowed by one of my flower arranging chums. All together the two cost about £10 so I think they have been a total bargain.

Here's the arched one.

More of my plastic containers

and a box full of them.

Here are my candle cups and a couple of larger bases and the compo which I use for pedestal arrangements. But seeing the pedestal used in church, I think I may get one of those in due course too.

I have been trying to catch up with all of my emails and I have only 4 left to deal with, which is almost unheard of for me. I have probably bombarded everyone today with emails and now their inboxes will be full instead of mine. But I am working on clearing my desk, inbox and making sure all my floristry stuff is in order over this coming week, and that I get the housework sorted too. I want to start next week with a lovely clean desk, house and slate!

Yesterday I popped into Winslow, where the lady who has brought the shop to the crop (!) was selling off a lot of her stock, v cheap, so despite being on a scrap crap diet (!) I splurged out all of £6.50 on the following, with Jamie adding a couple of bits into it too!

Some My Mind Eye and Teresea Collins - I like this one because it has a rock star type look about it.

Basic Grey, K & Co US States which we thought we may be able to use for a project at school (well eventually) and some doodlebug, into black and white at the moment.

A Basic Grey for me, and a couple that Jamie took a shine to, at 5p a sheet couldn't grumble.

Some more basic grey, I love these colours, these are really me colours. I already used some of these pattern in layouts and so have replaced some which I know I will use again.

A sunflower stamp, I can't resist sunflowers and a lady in a cloche hat, good for ATC's, inchies, twinchies etc.

I like borders, so the stamp (which is double sided) will be useful and the Italy stamps we are storing up for a possible school project, or a trip to Italy and the alphabet is American Crafts so all good items and only 50p each, a total bargain. I had looked at the dates for Ally Pally but I'm not going to be able to make that date other priorities. Now all I need is to get some scrapbooking done.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 8/16 - currently reading Lovers and Players by Jackie Collins
Jamie's Reading challenge 7/12 - currently reading Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull by James Luceno
SLYMI - 1/52

Final Day of the Summer Holidays!

No it can't be! It cannot be the final day of the summer holidays, they are all gone. Jamie is tucked up in bed and everything is ready for tomorrow. He is starting in Year 5, his new teacher will be Mr Morris and I am looking forward to meeting him tomorrow morning.

I've messed up on Jamie's new school trousers, as I have had them waiting for him for weeks, a pair from Next, exactly the same size as the shorts he has been wearing over the summer, so all should have been well, but Next's school trousers are 2 inches (yes 2 inches!) shorter around the waist then their shorts - now how does that work? To say I am a bit miffed is an understatement. I will be taking this up with Next tomorrow! Luckily I have an old pair of Jamie's school trousers, which I had kept for the length as a guide to take the new ones up. Angry is me, you bet!

I am sad to see Jamie go back to school tomorrow as I love having him about, but he is happy to be going back so that makes it all right. He will get a special lunch box tomorrow. A couple of his best pals are in his new class T, C and S and that is good.

Jamie and I snuggled on the sofa and watched Australia beat England and I think I may be converting him to cricket, which would be good.

Tomorrow I have lots of plans of things I want to get done, so we will see how it goes, my first job after going out with Binnie, will be to tackle Jamie's bedroom, it is ready for a good clean out after having him at home for 7 weeks. I hope the weather stays good so I can get plenty of washing out! I have a relatively quiet week ahead - a dentist appointment, helping a friend with the Church flowers, getting back into the weekly library routine, and ferrying Mike to the station will be my highpoints and I am looking forward to a week getting stuck into some serious cleaning! (Honestly I am!) But Wednesday after 2pm I am hoping to keep pretty free for some serious cricket watching again!

As for Mike, he has an exciting week, he is going to see a band that he has wanted to see for about a hundred years and has never managed to see before and he is also due to interview, in an pub in London, a VERY VERY famous musician who was in one of this countries biggest bands ever! I may give a hint tomorrow as to the creation of this band!!


Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 8/16 - currently reading Lovers and Players by Jackie Collins
Jamie's Reading challenge 5/12 - currently reading Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull by James Luceno
SLYMI - 1/52

Monday 22nd June

All the usual stuff today, Mike was doing his Aylesbury Friars bits today. We've been tasked with putting the club's membership forms onto a database of some kind, which I have told Mike I am happy to do, so he is going to set something up for me to work on. I think Friars is just the coolest thing and Mike has done an amazing job with his website, I am immensely proud of him - don't always tell him tho' (perhaps I should!).

Jamie has been practising his fave piece of music for his audition for the school concert, I am in no doubt that he will get through but I'm always anxious for him. He has been practising "When The Boat Comes In" which he can play very well, but when he is practising he is getting nervous, so it's lots of deep breaths. As we get nearer and nearer the end of term things start to get busier and busier with lots of things going on at school. He also has a project due in at the end of this week which is about grey squirrels so we need to do some finishing touches to that as well, although thankfully we have pushed him a bit to do some work on it already. He appears to be much happier sat at the computer writing his project than doing it by hand, but I guess that is the way of the world now.

I had a bit of a funny turn this evening, felt very sick and was a little sick. I am guessing it is something to do with my age and that thing that is on the horizon beginning with M. I have known for some time that I am perimenopause, but have not had too many symptoms but when I looked it up, yes overwhelming nausea, something like morning sickness (and that is just what it was like) is all part of the package. I tend to look at it as there isn't anything I can do about it, so better just deal with it! I might keep some ginger biscuits in from now on as they worked quite well with morning sickness.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 2/16 - currently reading T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton
SLYMI - 1/52

Father's Day

Father' Day so definitely a day to relax and chill. Lazy breakfast, we even got the Sunday papers today (we don't get them that often any more 'cos we just don't get time to read them). Jamie made Mike a lovely card, all by himself and I had knocked something up too. I'm not really a card maker, don't get the same buzz from it that I do scrapbooking, guess it has something to do with telling a story. But when I have used my supply of cards I will have a go at a few, 'cos a homemade card is a nice thing to receive.

We got Mike a couple of books for Father's Day, I've noticed that we so rarely buy CD's these days now we are Napster people. We chose Stuart Maconie - Adventures on the High Teas and Mark Radcliffe's Thank You For the Days: A Boys Own Adventures in Radio, both are right up Mike's street and he has read and enjoyed one of Stuart Maconie's other books.

We decided to go to Dobbies for coffee and cake, which we really enjoyed. I picked up some bedding plants whilst we were there. While Mike fired up the BBQ, I potted up some hanging baskets and pots. I unearthed a very large ant nest full of eggs, so boiled the kettle a couple of times to help get rid of. Having Jamie and Binnie means I am very very reluctant to use any chemicals in the garden.

Had an enjoyable BBQ and strawberries and cream afterwards, lovely! We watched Top Gear in amazement as Schumacher was 'revealed' as The Stig, well maybe for that day he was. After that we all had an early night, which we were in need of.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 2/16 - currently reading T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton
SLYMI - 1/52

Saturday 20th June

Our Day

We were planning to have a quiet day and we did just that, the weather was pretty good and we pottered and relaxed. We've been trying to find a few minutes to get the garden tidy and we have got most of it clean and cleared now, Mike just has the job of preserving all the garden furniture, which he is hoping to do over the next couple of weeks, Aylesbury Friars allowing!

Jamie had his friend G around to play this afternoon, she is a gorgeous, feisty blonde and they have been friends since nursery school, oh yes and she has a smile that can melt your heart! Jamie most of the time is noisy, G is noisy, but put them together and they play brilliantly, no hassle or problems at all today and they are quiet. I just need to know how does that work? G is a little bit afraid of Binnie but got more used to her this afternoon. They wanted to call for another friend who lives close by, but I am protective mum and will not let Jamie go out on his own yet, so we said next time when we can arrange it with L's Mum. They had a lovely afternoon rounded off with pizza and ice-cream. Mike and I ate later, we had an Indian takeaway, how naughty was that!

Parenting Dilemmas

Jamie is now at that age, where some of his friends are allowed to go out and knock for friends to play, he isn't. Whilst he accepts that fact and understands the reasons we have given him, it is one of the issues that can be a challenge. I don't believe that they are wrong and we are right, I just believe that we do things differently, they do what suits their family and we do what suits ours and that is what we try to explain to Jamie. We are lucky to have a small play area at the end of our street and Jamie is allowed to play there on his own for now and for Mike and I that is enough. Jamie has been very good in respecting the boundaries we have set for him and that is pleasing and reassuring and he knows in due course we will extend them. I think you just have to have the confidence and belief that you are making the right decision for your child and family, I'm a great believer in gut instinct and that if it feels wrong, then it probably is wrong. But I'd love to know what other parents think.

The Stone Rose by Jacqueline Rayner (possible spoilers)*
*just as a warning I will do my best not to spoil the plot!

We love Doctor Who in this house, in all its forms (TV, DVD, toys, magazines, collectors cards, exhibitions, audio books and books) and I have enjoyed reading all of the books in this series so far. I'm working my way through a box set of 10 novels, and this is the 7th in the series. I also have to confess that I had already heard this story on audio CD, but I still really enjoyed it.

This is a complex story, with, in Doctor Who speak, much crossing of time lines, backwards and forwards time travel and potential paradoxes, for the need to get my head around all of that it was an enjoyable read. The story starts at The British Museum where Micky Smith has found a statue that looks just like Rose, so the Doctor and Rose head off to Ancient Rome to investigate. They quickly become embroiled in a mystery when they meet Gracilis, whose son has disappeared and they help him, of course when would Rose and the Doctor not come to someone's aid. The story leads Rose to become a model for a sculptor, Ursus, and the Doctor visits many of the famous sights of Rome. They also come to the aid of a slave girl Vanessa who it is believed can predict the future, but she is not all that she appears.

Where the book is so successful is in portraying the characters of Rose and The Doctor, they are just as you have grown to love them from the television series and the relationship between them is drawn beautifully. The story cleverly hints at all of the undercurrents in their relationship and you feel their bond very strongly. The story is pacey and I found, whilst reading it relatively quickly I was always wanting to read just a few more pages even if I was very tired. The story for me comes into its own when it begins to explain how all of the events have taken place and how it describes multi-layered time-travel. A jolly good read, lots of fun and I'm looking forward to the next one.


Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 2/16 - currently reading T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton
SLYMI - 1/52

Some More Scrapbooking

Jamie and I have been scrapbooking again - here are some pages we've done over the past few days. Jamie's scrapbook is due to be handed in at school next week so thankfully he is just about finished it.

I've decided to give the UK Scrappers 'Scrap Like You Mean It' (SLYMI) Challenge a go and although they're now into week 22 , it gives me something to get my teeth into. To complete them all by the end of the year will be my goal. The current challenge is from a sketch with the theme of minimalism - so here are my pages .........

Cute - using a super picture of Jamie, I'm really pleased with this and the combination of colours, really works well, this is now one of my favourite pages. The paper is from one of the MME kits, the red strip Basic Grey.

Doug - another Doug Aldrich page (yes I know - but he does it for me!) I turned the sketch around, I like the stitching under the photo (well rub-on) but not as keen with the way I did the journalling. As a style I like the minimalist approach for some layouts, when the picture is striking and you want to really highlight it or you have some fantastic paper.


Then I did another couple of pages in a minimalist (ish) style using one of the MME kits.

My Husband - love this one, just a great photo of Mike and the masculine colours work well too.

The Way You Look At Me - one from our wedding day, with a bit of a private joke between Mike and I! I like the rounded corners, and I just think the MME papers look so classy. So for about £4.50 I have got 3 layouts and I still have some tags and journalling bits left over, pretty good value!

Finally Argostoli Ice-Cream - a page about our holiday last year when we spent the day in Argostoli and ate some of the best ice-cream I have ever tasted, the journalling reads,

"Saturday 19th July, 2008, Argostoli, Kefalonia. We spent a lovely day wandering around Argostoli, the capital of Kefalonia. Jamie is stood outside a bar on the harbour side where we sought refuge from the heat and enjoyed several cold drinks! Mike and Jamie are taking a rest on a bench, hats, sun-cream and water was essential. Later we had some of the nicest ice-cream I have ever tasted. A truly lovely day. "

Another green page, I do love my green, but with lots of layers of paper, I had a go outlining the title and am quite pleased with the result, I will use that technique again. I guess this layout reflects why I like scrapbooking so much, I get to tell the story of that day and just add that bit extra to the photos.

Ciao

Sue

XX
Reading challenge 0/16 - currently reading Only Dad by Alan Titchmarsh
UK Scrappers - SLYMI challenge - 1/52