Saturday, December 24, 2011

Happy Christmas Eve

Yum.  Hope Father Christmas enjoys his chocolate cookies tonight. 

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Winter walks

Thanks to a half day at work today, James and I spent the afternoon in the hills in search of a beautiful sunset and some muddy puddles to fall in.  Both obliged us most gratifyingly.  To top it off we made our descent by torchlight, making this James's first proper night hike.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Birthday present fun

James has wanted on of these for ages, and finally, for his birthday, he got his Stomp Rocket.  This morning he was out in the field, joined by Jennifer, Emma, Christopher, then Dave, our postman, all eager to have a go.  Good job we live in the country - even our garden isn't big enough for this game!


Then, it was time for the egg challenge.  Thank you Uncle Jonathan and Auntie Hannah for this fabulous game - unfortunately we have as yet failed to complete the challenge despite a couple of dry runs with the bouncy egg, so we have had to make do with cereal for breakfast this weekend :( 

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

It's not much, it's almost all melted, and you have to climb the hills to find it, but we've had a small sprinkling of snow.  Just enough to get us in the mood for Christmas!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Happy Birthday James

Six years ago tomorrow, James made his first appearance into the world.  Today he celebrated his birthday with all his grandparents, including the adopted ones from next door.  He was very pleased with his dinosaur birthday cake, complete with yellow claws (the brief was quite specific), googly eyes and spikes.  After a weekend full of treats, he has gone to bed exhausted, having determinedly finished constructing his new lego police boat before bed.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Pre-birthday treats

We celebrated James's coming 6th birthday today with a trip to the climbing wall with friends Ben and Grace.  A great time was had by all, including the mummies and daddies who also got to have a play.  The kids are keen to go again which solves wet weekends for years to come! 


And all this excitement followed by pizza and ice cream, and not just any ice cream - James had his first knickerbocker glory, which despite being as big as his own head, he managed to devour in record time.

Nativity

It's that time of year again, this year James was a townsman wearing the obligatory tea towel and tights costume.  He was still glowing after being chosen to hand out thank you flowers to his teacher at the end of the performance.  Good job James.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Walking the plank

Day three of operation extension.  We now have a moat surrounding Sunnyside.  The only way to the front door is to walk the plank.  A terrible fate awaits those who fail to make this perilous journey, to be forever preserved in the foundations of our house.  Let's hope we don't get any visiting hedgehogs tonight...

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Preparing for the diggers

This weekend we have cleared all the paving slabs from the back of the house in readiness for the diggers which may be arriving tomorrow.  Our house now looks even more derelict than when we first bought it four and a half years ago.

Knole

Here we are on our second trip to Knole this autumn in an attempt to view the annual rutting festival, but still no antlers at dawn.  So we collected sweet chestnuts and shelled beech nuts for the squirrels instead.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Show Jumping

It's a clear round for Emma and Toby the wonder hobby-horse. James appears to have lost his mount, but Maisie is on hand to step in.

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Extension!

Well, it might not be ours but it's exciting to see the Daveys extension taking shape. Our turn next year. Thanks for a lovely bank holiday weekend x
Caving with the Caves












During our trip out West, we ventured over the border into darkest Wales to visit Jim and Costa. After admiring their beautiful stone cottage, still very much a "work in progress", we went for a beautiful walk in the valley where much excitement was to be had exploring tunnels and caves.
Gorilla hunting!

Blogged a little late due to having left the camera in darkest Wales... A large number of gorillas, in an array of unusal colours, are currently to be found around the streets of Bristol. We spent a lovely day with the Daveys spotting as many as we could find.
Ging gang goolie

Enjoying the long summer holidays dans le jardin :)

Sunday, September 04, 2011

Kite

Now that the harvest is over, our garden has extended by some miles into the surrounding farmland.

Saturday, September 03, 2011

Flowers of Sissinghurst












Osteospermum whirlygig, salvia discolour and Lizzy and Lou! A joyous visit to the smallholders fair at Sissinghurst, sitting in a field listening to Sarah Raven's words of wisdom on the plight of our bees. More mid to late summer flowering nectar rich plants in your gardens please!

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Straw bales

The northern Burgess crew were here to greet us as we arrived home from holiday. The kids spent the weekend non stop playing with Dan and Boo, and our furry charge for the week, Austin.

Monday, August 01, 2011

Eight go mad in Dorset - Friday 29th July

And sadly the last day of a wonderful holiday. But we made the most of the day with a ride on the steam railway to Swanage, followed by fish and chips on the sea front, and a stop off at Allan's Farm in north Dorset to see the Stanleys in their newly acquired dairy farm, where one of the herd had calved a baby heifer just as we arrived. The perfect end to a perfect holiday.

Eight go mad in Dorset - Thursday 28th July

Saving the best til last - this was my favourite day of the holiday. We returned to Tyneham village and walked down to Worbarrow Bay. The intention was to snorkel in Pondfield cove just next door, but having swam out just a few feet into Worbarrow bay, there was an amazing amount to see - fish of all sizes and colours, even purple ones with turquoise tails, and little shoals of tiny fish swimming in complete unison. This was the best day of snorkeling we've had. Mab took the kids up to Worbarrow Tout to take in the view and then for a bit of rock pooling in Pondfield cove (spot the two large fossils, one above the other to the far right of the last picture).

Eight go mad in Dorset - Wednesday 27th July

At the kids request, we took a second trip to Corfe Castle for some more exploring and scrambling, and a bit of clay pot making. Then off to Shell bay for sand castles and lots of larking around in the sea. In this photo I have captured James's favourite moment from the holiday.

Eight go mad in Dorset - Tuesday 26th July

The kids and adults alike loved the deserted village of Tyneham. Lots to explore and plenty of food for the imagination. Back to the cottage for lunch and an afternoon snorkel in the bay. Last nights practice in the bath certainly paid off for Molly who finally plucked up the courage to take the plunge! Well done Moll, a tremendous achievement!

Eight go mad in Dorset - Monday 25th July

Sunshine, what riches! We headed down to Kimmeridge again for some more snorkeling. It was amazing, I just wish I had an underwater camera so I could share the experience. The natural jetty seems to go on for ever, and gives you a feeling of security as you swim out into what seems like the middle of the ocean, but you're never far away from a rocky ledge. I saw lots of fish and a huge spider crab, not to mention the beautiful shapes and colours offered by the rocks, seaweeds and anemones. This could become addictive! So far we have failed to entice the kids into the world of snorkeling (maybe a bit more practice in the bath is needed), so we headed to Studland in the afternoon to play in the sand.

Eight go mad in Dorset - Sunday 24th July

A walk and picnic up at Clavell Tower, followed by an afternoon of larking about at Corfe Castle.


Eight go mad in Dorset - Saturday 23rd July

Saturday wasn't the brightest of mornings, but all kitted out in wetsuits and snorkel gear we weren't about to let that a bit of cloud get in the way of our adventures. We headed down to Kimmeridge for my first experience of the underwater world...

Eight go mad in Dorset - Friday 22nd July

We arrived at Coastguards Cottage, a beautifully tranquil spot, just a few yards from Kimmeridge Bay. With a garden big enough to play frisbee in, and a beach just at the end of the garden, and our lovely friends, Ivor, Bex, Molly and George to hang out with, we were set to have a fantastic week.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

The Enemy

As I was bringing in the washing I spotted this little creature eyeing up my sweet peas. I managed to catch him before he began tucking in, and he paid for his misdemeanors by giving us all a cuddle. He charmed us enough to secure a safe passage back to his burrow. I can't promise the same again if Mab catches him.
Demolition

From this...













...to this...








...to this! Phase one of the extension begins in two weeks tomorrow, so this has been Mab's job this weekend, and a fine job he has done.