It's All Gone A Bit Quiet....

Hello there - hope you all OK? 


I've noticed it's gone a bit quiet on the comment front but I do hope you are all still reading? I have been really busy of late and have not had much time for leaving comments myself so I hope that is the reason things are quiet here and not because I am becoming boring!!

It's half term here and so I have been enjoying have the boys off school - on Sunday we went to Port Solent and had lunch at a fab new American diner:

We'd had a bit of a hooha before we came out as H didn't want to come - he was playing on the Xbox while talking to his friend and I was all for making him come out and have time as a family but Mr G said we shouldn't force him as he would be a big misery and it would cost more!! 

I reluctantly agreed and H stayed behind but when we got there I realised it was a mistake as I felt sad H was missing out (even if he would have moaned) and so in future I think I will put my foot down and insist he leave the blasted Xbox behind - at 13yrs old it's too young to be left out of family outings I feel, complaints or not!!

W really enjoyed it - he had a Texas BBQ Hot Dog:

And a a Chocolate Brownie Sensation Sundae (which we shared):

He then got a cooks hat and had his photo taken by the jukebox:

On Monday I had my niece and nephew as my sister has started Uni - she is doing a health science degree two days a week as she wants to be a cardiac physiologist (she originally wanted to be a doctor, but met her husband at 16 and it went by the wayside) while we went to local play centre she was prodding at a real human heart complete with torso *shudder* and admiring the medical students (who she says are hot!!)

Yesterday, pumpkin picking with Grandma and Granddad was a washout and so the boys went to see "Johnny English" at the pictures instead while I had a day of peace and spent it sewing - I've started a dress from the book "Sew Serendipity" (love that word!!) and if it looks OK when it's done I'll show you!!

Today, I saw my friend L - she and I have been going ceramics painting, you go and have a natter and a coffee and paint some blank china and then it gets glazed & fired for you to collect the following week - I didn't go this week but she had collected my dog bowl (do bare in mind I got an "F" for art GCSE!!):

I painted it with CK Stanley's!!

I had previously done a teapot:

Excuse the blurredy-ness - W took the pics!!

Even though I am not good at painting and the results are a little primitive, I love doing it so much!! It's very therapeutic and I have plans for Christmas plates for us all and all sorts!!

Anyway, that's about all I have to report for now so I will love you and leave you....

hugs,

S x

Last Of The Summer Holidays....

Well, H & W are back at school. I didn't want to them to go back. I love having them at home, with lazy mornings and nowhere to be unless we fancy an outing. My sister couldn't wait to get her kids back but I am completely the opposite and have even been known to have a little cry because the boys are back at school.


I was good though this morning when W went off for his first day at senior school, he looked so grown-up in his uniform and I did get a bit of a "prickly nose" but I managed to hold it together.


I thought I would share a few pics from a little outing we had this weekend. We packed a bag with bread & butter, salt, vinegar and ketchup and headed off to Wickham with the intention of buying a bag of chips each to make chip butties in the water meadows.


When we arrived in the village though (having had a puncture on the way there, luckily we had everything we needed for Mr G to change it) the chippy was shut. At 1.00pm. On a Saturday. 


On closer inspection there was a note in the window saying they were shut Sat 3rd for a family wedding. How very dare they?!! We couldn't believe how typical it was though that on the only day in months we choose to go to buy chips there they are closed for the day.


So, we made do with some pasties from the bakery. And Mr G made full use of the bread and butter by making a corned beef pasty sandwich. I kid you not.


After we had eaten it was time for tree climbing:

Barefoot, because flip-flops are not the best footwear for arboreal adventures....

And paddling:

I even had a go much to everyone's amusement (fortunately there is no photographic evidence) - I could only stick it 5 minutes though as it was freezing and my feet when numb!!

We even picked a few horse-chestnuts for conkering on the way back to the car.

It was lovely to be out together, H is a funny one - he is a bit (a lot!!) obsessed with the PC and xBox and never wants to leave the house (we can quite easily see him as one of those nerdy types who become hermits) but after a bit of a moan he always has a good time and it's lovely to see him outdoors!!

Hope your last few days of the school hols were nice, and everyone has gone back to school happily....