Goodbye August.......

August...the long month of Summer freedom; it's supposed to be so. This year seemed a little different, we didn't get the balance right. Last year we somewhat 'over did' the holidays and this year we didn't quite grasp the opportunities. They were there and in our thoughts but somehow events just swaddled us and the opportunities didn't manifest so we're all left a little deflated.

We're glad to see the back of August this year, it's been a month of 'goodbye's' so 'Goodbye August.....'

The most significant of our goodbye's was losing our dear friend Jenny. As with every sad event that happens we're trying to see the positives in the situation.


        

 

Our dear little Jenny chose us to be her family way back in 2008. If I'm being brutally honest, I didn't ever want a dog. It was just another element of chaos added to the list which I was already fighting to gain some form of control over. My late husband decided that our family needed a dog and he rather liked the idea of taking her to work with him. Of course the reality of the situation didn't ever come to fruition. She was of course a feisty little lady to whom in the early days behaving on the farm and in tenants houses would have been virtually impossible. She possessed killer instinct and in those early days when she exercised her own will she would chase virtually everything in sight!

                    

  

We were instructed to collect our little girl at just five weeks. My heart ached back then....five weeks is just too young. As an attachment parent, I would have preferred it if she had of left her family when she had become a little more independent. It was not to be and in hind sight she did incredibly well. Having an extra 'thing' to look after was just beyond me. In a world where I was surrounded by family chaos, deprived of sleep and struggling to keep, afloat another element almost tipped the scales. I really disliked that dog for the best part of eighteen months! I know, mean. She was cute as a puppy but grrrr, the chewing, the pooping, the barking.......it was like having another toddler in the house. Of course the kids loved her and I sort of did too...
In 2010 we decided to breed her....well when I say 'we' it was actually my idea and dear darling husband was quite opposed to his little girl 'up the duff'. Finding a suitor was a challenge, all of the good looking potentials had had their tackle removed. I confronted many a dog owner on the street and even left a note under the collar of one unsuspecting pooch outside the supermarket! Eventually the guy that we bought little Jenny from came up trumps with Tiger (there's a blog all about puppies way back at the beginning of my blogging journey). Jenny gave birth to six puppies, four of which survived. Our puppy journey was an incredible experience for us all and one I shall never forget and little Jenny was a brilliant mother.


I love this one....okay dog, you can have the bed......


As the children became older and as Jenny matured, I loved having her around. Despite the barking (which incidentally became a blessing and alerted me to the presence of people),  and the jumping up, she became one of the family and a loyal friend. She was trained to the whistle and would always return with a couple of toots. She retained her character.
Jenny loved coming out with us, loved travelling in the car, loved chasing things, loved catching rats (and the odd pheasant in her younger days!) and she had a passion for terrier racing. Only a month ago we allowed her ( we didn't have much choice. She knew....) to race at the fun dog show in Glympton and she still won all three of her races against all of the younger dogs.



It was with great reluctance that I took our dear little friend to the vets with a suspected bone in her throat. She was an incredibly healthy creature. I only ever took her to the vet for her initial puppy vaccinations and reluctantly to be micro chipped. They commented that she had lost a little weight since 2010! Anyway, the suspected bone turned out to be a tumour on her lungs and the vet wanted to put her to sleep there and then. I couldn't do that to my little friend....she left the examination room with perky ears and her tail wagging. I took her home.
Of course I knew that she was very poorly and I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't let her suffer. That afternoon one small boy wanted to test out a boat he had made so with a trip to the river planned I asked our little girl if she wanted to come...of course she did. She wanted to be around those who loved her. She enthusiastically trotted to the hall to have her harness and lead put on and independently walked to the car. She was perfectly happy lying on a blanket with us watching the fun.


Little Jenny remained in an unchanged state for a further two days but on the Friday of that week you could hear the increase liquid on her lungs and I knew that the next day I would have to put and end to her life. The children all knew and had had time to adjust to the situation. She snuggled up with my lovely friend and I that night on our camp on the sitting room floor. She really snuggled up, she wanted to be in my arms. I stroked her and told her that it was okay to go......she fell asleep with my hand placed upon her peacefully. What a blessed end to a beautiful life.



Life is not the same without our lovely dog but we feel so blessed that she chose us......



Ed note: The lovely guy who bred Jenny also passed away in the same week. Our thoughts are with his family.

Grand shed opening!

I know what you're thinking.....crazy hey! Yep, it all happens in my life.

So, you may recall the seed being planted last month when my lovely little shed/ex wash house was re-roofed. Well things have been cooking rather nicely over the past two months and I would like to share our little moment of madness; albeit rather a lot of fun, with you my dear friends.

Back in February, our very kind maintenance man and friend re-roofed the lovely old red brick shed that resides in our garden along with my adjoining neighbours shed too. Poor thing was leaking here and there and one of the main timbers was severely taking the strain of the weight of the rather buckled corrugated iron roof that it supported.
I knew that re-roofing was on the agenda at some point but wasn't given any real idea about when this might actually happen.
One day I came home from something or other and upon walking into the shed thought it seemed surprisingly lighter than usual. It was of course 'roofless' at that point. Hmmm! Now that was a surprise!
As all of my sheddy things were still present and the nature of being open to the elements, it wasn't long before I was admiring a fine new roof and for once, no leaks :-)
Yeah! I did a little hop, skip and jump at the mere excitement of having a 'leak free' place in which to store said stuff. Then of course my little mind went berserk and started working overtime about the possibilities that a new roof could mean for an old shed.
I mentioned my excitement and a host of potential uses to Mr Maintenance and under his breath he mentioned that my neighbours shed was 'very tidy'!
OOOOHHHH! Mine wasn't in the slightest bit tidy.......
Well, that did it. One little comment was all it took to fuel the start of 'shed envy'.
I instantly set to work looking on Pinterest for shed inspiration (if you haven't yet discovered Pinterest you really are missing out).

I'm embarrassed to reveal these but here we go!

Yes, I know...I could barely get through the door!

My neighbour was equally inspired to transform his shed too :-)
The past two months have been incredibly fun. Dear P started off at super speed and left me on the start line, so to say. We would pass on the way in and nod on the way out....most hilarious! One night Small boy came in to my room at midnight to inform me that P was in his shed...in his pyjamas! Hehe!
Visiting friends have been collared to help too not leaving without a spot or two of paint on their being.

I built shelves and a work surface out of an old door.

The walls were give a lick of paint and the fireplace a rub up with grate polish.


For many weeks P's shed seemed to be advancing (or so we imagined) at rapid speed whilst ours; if the truth be known, was changing at a snails pace. I had so much to move around and re-home. The utility items had to move into the house, the garden stuff had to move into the woodshed....the list is beyond imagination truly it is. My house have never looked more disorganised. It's been a crazy couple of months.
Saturday we announced that we were done.....poor P was under pressure. We joked over the fence about underfloor heating, swimming pools and surround sound systems ...hehe, most amusing!
Sunday night I dropped into the conversation that I had invited a few friends for the grand opening on Monday and so it was. Monday, 19 of us supported the grand opening. It was really a rather lovely excuse for a social get together :-)





 The moment of anticipation.....

 

    

 



  



                                 Ta dah!
Note, the transformation cost me a mere £5.09....:-) not bad hey!
* P's shed was warm and insulated.....the envy continues.......

Welcome back!

People out there, hello! I'm back! Winter induced the downtime and it's been lovely. It's been a period of hibernation...ideas have been flowing and now I feel I have emerged....it's Spring! :-)

So what of my period of hibernation?
It's been wonderful!
Work throughout January and early February was unusually quiet. I think that the powers that be decided I should have a little time out. Time to think, play and hatch out some plans.

For quite a while now I've been wanting to design and make clothing to sell on Etsy. I don't know about you but when I look around the High Street stores I just don't see the style of clothing that I like anymore. I've never particularly been into fashion but I do still like to look good. Many of the designs out there are too short or the cut just doesn't flatter. It's made me question exactly what us women do want?
Well speaking for myself of course, I personally want clothes that are comfortable, easy to wear, forgiving...that's a must! Versatile ...another must really. It's great to buy items that can be teamed up with other garments and dressed up and down depending on the occasion.
I've spent quite a while fiddling about in my little sewing room and did come up with a few designs. I'm not revealing anything yet...(top secret!) but will as soon as I'm happy with what I have created.

Quite recently I've had my garden shed re-roofed. It was rather rotten and a tad damp (well it is a shed!)....anyway, the creative possibilities that have now emerged as a result of feeling that it isn't going to fall down imminently have filled me with excitement! (I'm wondering if admitting to this is actually making me sound somewhat 'sad?) So the thought of a 'she-shed' is manifesting. Of course if the shed is to become anything other than a dumping ground it has to be cleared out and sorted and other areas too need addressing in order to re-arrange the stuff. It's the usual thing really. So we've made a start. I've come up with the ideas and have provided the initial motivation and the kids (haha) have started on the decorating! It's jolly useful to be able to put them to work now that they have become a little older and are more able :-) No justifications needed really, they will be able to use the new space as a den/chill out area and I will be able to escape them and possibly use it for larger craft projects. It's win win!

I've been using the dark Winter evenings to join one of my favourite bloggers, Lucy at Attic 24 and her crowd of followers, to join in her CAL (crochet along). I'm not all that good at following instructions or sticking to the book but the inspiration for this CAL (which incidentally is ANOTHER blanket) is in fact the North Yorkshire Moors, one of my most favourite areas of the country especially when the heather is in bloom. So the colours of the blanket are those of the moors with the heather in bloom. I resisted the draw of this project for quite some time and then gave in and bought myself the yarn pack for Christmas. I love having a crochet project on the go and it quite literally goes everywhere with me just in case I have a spare moment. In the Winter months, creating a blanket is lovely as when it grows you can wrap yourself in it and enjoy the warmth it provides. I'm halfway there now, perhaps it will be ready for next Winter!

Other than that I continue to live life as a romantic adventure, looking for the romance in the everyday mundane.
I read a little quote last week that I had forgotten but do recall resonated some years ago

'Make your life a romantic adventure and love will find you'.

I am as always engulfed in love and this little quote has made it's mark on me once again. I particularly chuckled to myself last Friday when I landed myself the job of towing a caravan to Oxford from the outskirts of London!

Life is never dull!!

New year clear out

Having a clear out.......is this not the story of my life?

I always seem to have that fear of becoming swamped in my own 'stuff' and am forever trying to palm people off with 'things'. The children used to be dreadful at bringing things into the house, if not for birthdays and Christmas then there is the constant flow of pre-loved clothing and passed on toys and games. Thankfully over the past year or so my training seems to be paying off and I witness them declining offers 'things' lest their bedrooms reach an un-manageable state of untidiness.

The festive period is always one where I feel I let the house go. The decorations go up, the furniture is moved around and new items seem to arrive, in general a sense of added clutter seems to take hold. Every year I feel that need to rid myself and re-home everything to start the new year a fresh.

This year I had my usual set of post-chrimbo plans; tree down, homes found for new gifts, out with the old...you know the sort of thing I mean. Then I received a late gift from one of my sister's which happened to be a book titled 'The life-changing magic of tidying' by Marie Kondo. Well admittedly part of me thought 'blimin cheek!' Don't people usually disagree with you when you comment about how messy your house is? Obviously not! My immediate reaction was to give the book away but then the pangs of guilt swept across my conscience, I mean I have read books on de-cluttering before, how many takes on ridding yourself of your junk can there be? 

So reluctantly I started to read the book. I have to say that the author is so bossy! It is not a book that I have enjoyed but I have laughed at some of the sections especially the bit that refers to 'the wardrobe'. Haha!!

Clothes should be ordered from largest to smallest - left to right, heavy bulky items on the left and light floaty numbers on the right.....

Well......I am too embarrassed to reveal the true unadulterated state of my rather dilapidated effort that is my wardrobe. But I can describe it.....It's one of those cheap pine constructions with a linen-look drape over the front. The rail is filled with hangers and the clothes are so tightly squished together that it takes brute force to extract an item. Nothing is ordered, winter and summer items are mixed and several items are crammed onto each hanger. I've sorted through the contents many times and what remains are the items that I wish to keep. There is not at this moment a single millimetre of space for any further garments and should I attempt to remove too may items at one time, I fear the whole thing will collapse before my eyes as it is quite possibly the force caused by the overfill that is keeping it held together. I rest my case!

THE book now sits on the shelf by my front door awaiting some other poor 'needy of decluttering' person to relieve me of it.

Puffball soup

I love the fact that my children have an astute awareness of the countryside and have fostered my love of foraging. A couple of weeks ago whilst driving home across the estate after an ad hock outing, the children suddenly spotted a collection of puffball mushrooms in one of the cow fields.

Now I'm very cautious where mushrooms are concerned and will only eat those that I know to be edible. There are many varieties out there that have poisonous lookalike, and those I steer well clear of, it simply isn't worth the risk. The giant puffball however is a mushroom that is pretty obvious and rather beautiful really. It's basically a giant ball of pure mushroomy white stuff. They are easy to spot from a distance as they stand out so well from their surroundings as white blobs on the landscape.

Within minutes they returned laden with the autumn delights, their aroma is very distinctly mushroom and can be rather overpowering in the confined space of a car!

Our latest find was turned into soup today and rather scrumptious it was too! Soup is unbelievably simple to make, I rarely use a recipe as most follow the same basic principles. Here's how if you haven't tried it before:

Firstly chop an onion and a couple of cloves of garlic. Fry them in a saucepan until they are soft in with olive oil or I use coconut oil as it copes pretty well with being heated.

Add a stock cube or tablespoonful of vegetable bouillon powder then add some water (I kind of guess amounts here, perhaps half to a pint of water).

Peel and roughly chop your puffball ensuring that the flesh is white and fresh looking.

Add a little salt and pepper and cover and boil.

Bring to the boil and simmer for about 20-30 minutes covered (add more water if necessary) then whizz with a blender, add a splash of cream and serve.

Mmmmmm

Enjoy!!

2016..... where is the year going?

Helloooooooo!

Manic manic times and .......well.....just where exactly is the year going? Life just seems to be on the fast train at the moment and it's been in front of me the past few months and just out of reach.
Anyway, things are set to slow down. Suddenly it feels like the fast train has stopped at the station and I've got off the train....summer has arrived!!!

Miss P has been studying hard for the past year and has just completed three IGCSE's. I opted to have some amazing tutors to deliver the content and set the child on the right path and how flabby that has been. It hasn't reduced the stress levels at home all that much although things have been marginally easier than last year as I'm guessing we had a vague idea of what to expect. It has meant that from a totally selfish side, I have been able to say 'I'm afraid I have no idea, you'll have to ask your tutor'. Of course that has worked to some extent but I have still had to be on hand to listen to 30 odd physics formulae being learned by rote and a great number of 'rules of english' constantly being bombarded at me. One morning the teen even woke me up with her constant questioning....bleary eyed me sitting up in bed trying to work out where I.  It became dreadful towards the end, the teen would ask me seemly random questions of which I had no idea what-so-ever, only to be rewarded with 'I like that fact that I know more than you mum, it makes me feel clever!' Great!
Life has seen a lot of Miss P being escorted all around the county and myself and the others just killing time here and there, it's had its ups and downs but we've tried to make the best of our time at various different places.
Work has been tough too. Sqidging in the odd hour here and there to try and make ends meet, it's not been easy AT ALL.

All this work has had me question whether I really want to go down this route with the other two? The young man would rather dig holes and build dens than look at a book and the Little Lady has suddenly grown up and is quite resistant to work. I concluded that it has to be a no no and in my haste I registered her at school. I opted for a small local school thinking that it had to be the bast option and after all the effort I was offered my catchment school .....I didn't even list that one! To cut a very long story short, I decided to go to appeal. I have to point out that I had absolutely NO GROUNDS for appeal, I couldn't even fill out the appeal form, not because I am stupid but simply because I had NO case. So I decided to write a letter and send that. I researched the whole appeal thing and learnt very early on that my chances were virtually non existent. The school had adhered to the code of admissions and although I was going to the court of appeal (yes, it really is held in a court room), I would most certainly come out looking really rather stupid for appealing and not accepting the schools decision in the first instance. Well it didn't happen. For some strange, unknown reason the panel had absolutely no idea what they were doing and the schools representative had very limited information from the school, plus I seemed to totally have the upper hand and WON my appeal in the first round! Unbelievable!!
So now the reality of my actions has set in and the Little Lady is off to school in September. Still unsure if I've made the right choice but it will give me more time to work and to have one-on-one time with Small Boy who really could do with some undivided attention.
All this child centred mish mash has left very little time for the woman of a wildish disposition to do her own stuff. Creativity has virtually gone out of the window swamped by a world of work and commitment to others, but I have plans......

Today it feels truly like summer. I've had time to potter around the house and get some neglected jobs done and I'm almost on top of the ever increasing piles of work that seem to have taken over my little sewing room. I like it when I have moments of freedom, when I reach the end of the pile. Those are the times when I really live and appreciate life. Small Boy picked me some elderflowers today; a gentle reminder that it's that time of the year again. I seeped some in cold water and then this afternoon a second batch appeared. It was a relief that the scent was elderflower as I thought it was slightly reminiscent of cat pee! Those flowers are soaking overnight in what was boiling water and lemon juice. I'll add the sugar and citric acid tomorrow and enjoy the delicious flavour of elderflower cordial.

I've just booked my ferry crossing to France. We're heading off on a three week adventure with someone special this summer. It's out of my comfort zone travelling abroad but I'm excited about it; as are the children. I've also booked to go to a lovely family camp in Yorkshire. I am drawn to that area of the country; it's simple feel and beautiful rolling hills and sheep farms. So a summer of travelling and adventures ahead. Isn't that what life is all about?

Sugar free existence

I quit sugar.

'Why?' I hear you ask.......

For quite sometime now I have wondered about the long term effects of a diet high in sugar.
I am indeed an adult raised during the 'low fat' craze of the 80's and 90's, fat causes heart disease right? Well not exactly. If you read the bumf out there it does actually suggest that an idea was born, a seed planted and then the concept literally flew with the wind and now the low fat market is massive and still growing. What has happened as a result is that food companies have replaced their products with fillers and often sugars to entice us to eat them and to make them palatable. It's scary stuff!
I suppose my worries started way back in 2011 when I recognised real highs and lows in my husband; who literally fuelled his body on a diet of high sugar cereals, coke, biscuits - you name it. His highs and lows were very evident with periods of elation followed by moments of despair which he dealt with in his own way. I did a little research back then but didn't act upon my findings until the end of last year when I began to question just why we are becoming a nation of overweight people and why in particular the rate of diabetes, cancer and degenerative brain diseases have become so rife?
When my own mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease I realised that I really had to look further into matters of health to help me understand the condition.
I had also got to the stage when my own sweet tooth was getting the better of me and I too was beginning to gain weight. Cake had moved beyond the realms of a treat and had become the norm, sometimes being consumed several times a day!

Mixed bulgar wheat and quinoa with warmed vegetables and cheese

A good friend recommended a book called 'Grain Brain' by David Perlmutter. Wow! Interesting stuff! It basically shuns the healthy lifestyle that I thought I was living stating that grains and carbs are responsible for so many of our current epidemic health troubles. It suggests that grains cause inflammation in the brain but also in other parts of the body. Sugar of course is high in carbs, in fact the more you read and look at our Western diets, the more you realise that actually out diets are mainly based on carbs. We've been told for years now that carbs should make up the largest part of our daily food intake. Remember that food pyramid with the picture of bread, pasta and grains at the bottom? Which group is at the top? The fats and oils. No wonder our brains have been suffering as a result of low fat diets, our brains need fats to survive and function properly.
I for one have always feasted on a relatively low fat diet, thinking it to be the healthy and sensible option. No wonder all my life I have suffered with poor memory and the inability to retain information. During my formative school years especially, I recall this being a problem.
'Grain brain' suggests a diet based on fat and protein with vegetables (although not the high carb starchy ones). That is all good and well but not so easy if you are vegetarian! It also goes onto say that our bodies are not meant to be fuelled by a diet of sugar. Our early ancestors would have primarily consumed meat with the odd plants and berries here and there (only in season).
Apparently when we eat carbs our brain doesn't register that it is full. How true this is! When I have eaten a plate of pasta and momentarily felt full, within no time at all I would have rooted through the cupboards to find something sweet to follow. If you eat protein and fat your brain does actually register that is is full.

Mashed sweet potatoes with Quorn fillets, beetroot, feta and salad 

Hmmmm!
Intrigued, I felt I had to research these theories further and it seems that others have also adopted the same way of thinking. It makes sense. So before Christmas, I decided to give things a try. I cut sugar from the diets of myself and my children in a big way. We upped our fat intake (protein and good fats - coconut oil and olive oil) and ditched the carbs, big time!
The first week or so was really challenging but I was determined to give the theory a trying practice and see what effects it had on my body.
I wasn't prepared for the amazing results that became apparent.
As a vegetarian it was more of a challenge. I exchanged wheat flour for coconut flour and sugar for Stevia which is made from birch sap. We survived mainly on meatless alternatives, cheese, lentils and eggs; which are considered a super food.
Firstly I had more energy and I wasn't going through  the highs and lows that prior to 'no sugar' I was clearly experiencing. My body plateaued in a way I find difficult to explain. I had a very constant flow of energy and it felt good! I didn't feel periods of tiredness following meals; you know, those 3pm dips; and my muscles felt different. They felt stronger and and more able to endure work. Amazing! The most brilliant aspect of no sugar was no pre menstrual cramps, pains, boob pain or symptoms; not that I suffer much anyway, but all symptoms were completely non existent :-)
The other bonus is that my body became toned, wobbly bits from my arms and the tops of my legs, shrunk and tightened :-)

Warmed mushrooms, peppers, salad and haloumi cheese

A combination of too much coconut flour and Christmas scuppered my plans. Much as I did try very hard around the festive period to resist the carb laden treats, it was extremely challenging. Firstly I was bought a huge box of Thornton's chocolates which were really tough to resist and then there were all the pies, cakes etc etc One thing that I did notice having cut out sugar was the fact that when I now eat sugar it actually tastes poisonous. Genuinely it does and it's not good. It also makes my mouth taste horrid. I guess that I had become resilient to it over the years.
So here I am mid Feb and although I have the odd bit of sugar and some carbs, I'm perfectly happy without it :-) :-), the children have cut back but do have treats :-) :-) It's about getting the balance right!

Words from the mouth of a self confessed sugar addict. 

Asparagus, mixed salad and cauliflower cheese with a dressing

A typical/non typical day in the life of our home schooled family

I am often asked what we do all day? When you say that you 'home school/home educate' is is often assumed and expected that 'school' is somehow replicated in the home environment.
Q visions of children working away at the kitchen table with mum scribbling complex equations on a white board. 
Wrong!
This sounds very idealistic and perhaps what some folk out there dream of and aspire to but in our household, this is certainly many miles away from the truth of what actually goes on.
So how does a typical day flow?
Well firstly there is no such thing in our world as a 'typical' day. No two days are the same, even the best plans never come to fruition!

Let's take today for example:

7.20 am alarm goes off, snooze button is hit!

7.45 am peel back the bed covers and enthusiastically call to the sleeping beauties that are still drifting in the land of nod!

8 am The first child emerges in the kitchen ready for breakfast, ten minutes later a second child joins the party.

8.50 am the third child rushes to get out of bed and dressed as we are about to leave the house! There's always one!

9 am We're in the car about to embark on our hour long journey into Oxford for Miss P's Environmental Management lesson.

9.45 am We arrive at the lesson 15 minutes early!

10 am We drop Miss P off  and venture off into Cowley centre in search of Lidl. Lidl is nowhere to be found so find selves wandering aimlessly around the shops in search of birthday gifts for family members. Passing elderly folk comment/talk among themselves about the fact that it should be school today! Note that The Little Lady has come out in 'normal' attire (her onesie!) which we are so used to seeing but recall that others won't see it in the same way!

11 am Sit in shopping centre car park trying to pick up wifi signal on Kindle in an attempt to have both children engage in maths lessons. Wifi works on phone but will only allow us to watch the lessons and not carry out the exercises. Decide to have an early lunch and head back to pick up Miss P who doesn't finish for over and hour.

11.45 am Return at lesson site to await Miss P and sit in the car reading 'Sky Hawk' by Jill Lewis, whilst children make cards for grandfather's belated birthday. Story captivates children's attention well. It's not long before we embark upon a sad scene. I struggle to hold back the tears and end up a blubbering mess struggling to get the words out!

12.30 pm We venture into lesson venue early and pick up wifi in order to complete maths questions. I note how the Boy becomes a writhing fish when any mention of 'work' is assimilated. He works his way through an entire yoga workout within the ten minute maths question period!

1 pm Miss P finishes her class and we head off to visit grandparents.

1.30 pm Catch up with news from Grandparents, children stimulated with sugar ridden food and chemical filled drinks (there goes my good intentions...), fill bags with endless magazines and old drawer finds before heading off.

3 pm Arrive back to sanctuary relieved that the days rush is over.

Rest of the afternoon and evening is spent....Miss P working through physics homework next to me on sewing room floor, The Little Lady catching up with her friend on the phone and then creating the most delicious baked cheesecake for pud and Small Boy initially creating a 'beehive' which he hopes will attract resident bees (he's even filled lined egg boxes with cling film and filled them with sugared water) and then.......well as I put him to bed I realise that he's been working away creating a 'man trap!' I have a full demonstration of how it works and which string operates which part of the trap. Gee whizz! So glad not to have been captured buy that one!

So you see, no formal sitting down stuff at all. The beauty of our days are flexibility and freedom :-)

I wonder what joys and challenges tomorrow will bring?

                         <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 XXXXXXXXX <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3