*dog, blackberries, children...*

Yay! Thank [insert appropriate expletive here] it's Friday! End of the first week back at school, we've all survived it just about intact. Freya had a much better day, and came home full of tales of drawing flowers, specifically lilies, and labelling them for a display. She seemed much happier today.

As many of you will already know, I am better known in some UK scrapping circles as Rudishoes; when I first joined UK Scrappers two and-a-half years ago, I think I wanted to retain a little anonymity, so I chose Rudishoes as my user name...after my faithful pooch, the original Rudi(shoes)!! Anyway, since I don't think I've blogged about her yet, I thought it was high time she got a look-in. She'll be 11 in December, and is growing old very gracefully. This is her this morning, playing with her chew toys in the sun, in the back garden:



As is customary in the *blossom trail* household, today was treat day, and after school daddy walked the girls to the village shop to choose their treat. Today was also my deadline for posting some postcards for a swap I'd signed up to on Swap-Bot, so the girls very obligingly agreed to pop my 5 cards in the post box for me on the way to the shop:




Anja wasn't able to reach, so Freya did the honours. Anja has decided this week that she is "too tired to walk" on a number of occasions, and whilst I am a cruel mother, and insist that she walks (or I leave her behind, wailing in the street...), daddy is thoroughly indulgent, and takes the pushchair with him. I call this piece 'Lady Muck':



The title promised blackberries; here are some slightly sad-looking specimens found in the back garden this morning:



We would have had a much bigger crop than the one we've ended up with, but the farmer radically chopped our back hedge a couple of weeks ago, and most of the blackberry brambles went then.

Am off for a walk around the village this evening in an effort to kick-start my exercise regime; am absolutely shattered, but my friend Sue is making me go!! Working tomorrow - 6 weddings in all, 3 at the Register Office, and 3 at hotels.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!