*make-up, wellies, cheesy grins*

I was trying to think of a witty and uplifting post title for a Sunday evening, but my brain appears to be working at about 2 miles an hour, somewhat slower than is usual, and therefore this is the best I can come up with (up with which I can come, if you're being pedantic!!) It does exactly what it says on the tin, certainly insofar as the photographs I'm about to post are concerned.

The girls were experimenting with a fairly revolting make-up set given to Freya for her birthday - everything in it is bright pink and impossible to remove, other than with a wire brush. I'm kidding, of course, but it did take a good old scrub with a flannel at bath time, and had been applied early this morning. Now, I know the application is pretty haphazard, but is it me, or does this child look way older than just 6??!!



In the second instalment of what may yet become a series, Anja and I are pleased to bring you this, a slight departure from an earlier theme, since the wellies are this time on the right feet:


Can you see how well her "girls" are doing in their blue pots??!!

And just because I love the expression on her fizzog, another photo from today, which again was spent mostly in the garden.



I am feeling ever-so-slightly 'Sunday evening', because I'm working four mornings this week, shock horror. I'm filling in at the Register Office, whilst my successor is on holiday, and since it's over two months since I last registered a birth or death, I'm feeling a teeny bit nervous. I'm sure I'll be fine once I'm there, but I'm beginning to wonder whether I should give it up altogether, because I don't want to make a mistake, and I think that becomes increasingly likely, the longer the gaps between registrations. I'll see how I feel at the end of this week.

Hope everyone out there has had a good/productive/enjoyable/stress-free* *you choose weekend, and wishing you all a great week ahead.

*a snail called george*

Much excitement today as Anja found a new pet; alas, he was only with us for a short while, before being lost in the undergrowth where, it has to be said, he was probably much happier. She was distraught for about 30 seconds and then moved on to the next thing!! I managed to capture these few moments; George was tiny - Anja has small hands, even for a four year-old, so you can see how little our friendly mollusc was!






Note also that Anja is wedded to her Chelsea shirt...it has been washed!!

We had promised the girls early on in the day that if they were good and gave us a bit of help in the garden, they would be able to have their bouncy castle out early evening. Freya weeded the drive for me - quite happily - and Anja sorted some rocks and stones, and gave them all a good wash! A little bit of slave labour does them no harm. The bouncy castle came out at 6, and they expended what little energy they had left - I don't know where they get it all from. They are sound asleep, and I doubt we will hear a peep from either of them until 8 o'clock tomorrow morning.



It's been a beautiful day here - I think it's going to break tomorrow, and I'm glad we spent the whole day outside today. It has been lovely.

*friday, friday...*

As not sung by the Mamas and the Papas!!

We are glad it's Friday in this house; I have two little girls who are extremely tired, as illustrated beautifully by these snaps taken this afternoon:





I have nothing prophetic, insightful or inspiring to say this evening; just to wish you all a very happy weekend - I will be moving onwards and upwards with my house clearing/garden maintenance!!

*brave little soldier...*

Anja had her 'pre'-school boosters today - not sure why they're so called, since she's at school already, but they're the ones they have when they're 4 - MMR in one arm, and polio/tetanus/meningitis C/whooping cough in the other arm. She didn't even flinch! I was SO impressed. The nurse gave her a sweet and chatted to Anja about her footballing ambitions. As soon as we were home, she changed into her new Chelsea strip, very kindly donated by my friend Sue. She is in seventh heaven with this:



I am on a mission to find her a football team, but it seems that most of our local ones won't take them 'til they're 5. She's very keen to practice, and I'm afraid I just don't cut the mustard for a kick around in the back garden. She wants to play with "real footballers"...

*not a lot doing…*

First official day of ‘freedom’ – I write it in inverted commas, as it feels an odd sort of liberty at the moment. It will take me a while to get used to the fact that I am leaving them both at school at 8.40am and not collecting either of them until 3pm. Very strange. I have used my time relatively productively today; managed to clear the decks in the dining room, and have surreptitiously binned some of the broken toys. I have to do this when the girls aren’t here, otherwise I get a chorus of “we still play with that…” or “that’s my favourite toy…” – if I do it in their absence, they don’t even notice that something has gone. I’ve yet to be caught out, but there’s always a first time!!

When the girls got home from school, the first thing they did was go straight back outside to play in the garden, and there they stayed until tea-time at 6. They had their kites out again, and had a couple of successful launches from the top of the slide; before too much longer I think Ed and I had better take them up the Malvern Hills so that they can have a proper kite flying experience!!

Not many pictures from today, but I took some snaps from upstairs whilst they were fooling around on the swings:



On a more sombre note, I have heard this evening that one of my fave television presenters has been critically injured in a crash, driving a jet-powered car. Get well soon, Richard Hammond - it just wouldn’t be the same without you.

*on the 'ice'*

Had a really, really lovely day today with Kathryn and Jasmine. Anja and Jasmine had their first taste of ice-skating, although it wasn't real ice, but the plastic stuff which actually I found really difficult to skate on. Anja loved it; she was concentrating so hard on not falling over, so she had a serious expression on her little face the whole time. Love this one:



After the skating, we went to Pizza Hut for lunch, which was lovely right up until the point when I found a dead fly in my cappuccino - is this karma for not paying for my coffee last week??!! I nearly saw my lunch a second time round - still feel sick at the thought of it. The waitresses thought it was disgusting, too, and the manageress is sending it to their Head Office with my name and address. She reckoned it must have been in a vacuum packed bag of coffee... Anyhoo...

We had a bit of time to kill after lunch, so we took the girls to the countryside centre for a run-around - they were hyper after their sweet-covered ice-cream desserts. This is my favourite shot from this afternoon:



Back at home, the girls were eager to try out the kites Anja and I had purchased at Toy City (home of the ice rink!) £2.99 each - very reasonable, I thought. Here's Freya about to launch hers from the top of the slide:



I am now a free woman; Anja is full-time at school from tomorrow. The declutter resumes in earnest, and there is an empty skip to be filled. If you see me loitering at my PC, tell me to get back to work!!!

*first full day*

Anja's first full day went like a dream, by all accounts, although she was shattered when she came out at 3pm. I ended up having to carry her part of the way home, something I wouldn't normally do, but she was clinging, limpet-like to my leg, and to be honest it was easier to pick her up. Really don't want to make a habit of it, though.

Well, our feathered friend remained on my windowsill all night long; when I awoke at 6.30 this morning, she was still there, asleep, and looking quite comfortable, and by the time I got out of the shower at 7, she was awake and looking around. As I rolled back the blind from its half-open position, she flew away without a backwards glance!!! Predictably, she left a nice pile of poo on the sill, which I've yet to clean off - just can't quite stomach it. Perhaps I'll leave it for the window cleaner!!! Kidding...

Not a lot else happening today; operation clean-up/declutter started in earnest this morning, and then sort of petered out around lunch time!! I am trying to go through the rooms one at a time, but the novelty of having the whole house to myself this morning was a bit overwhelming. I have a day off from it tomorrow, though, as it's Anja's last day of no school (even though she was in all day today), so she and I are meeting my friend Kath and her daughter Jasmine, at the 'fun palace' at Toy City...there is a temporary ice rink there as well, so Kath and I will be able to show off our skating skills to the little girls, ha ha ha!! I will take my camera in the hope of getting some good shots, but I might spend all my time on my bottom...

No photos from today, and I do so hate a photo-less post; since it's school photo time again soon, I'll leave you with this from May 2004 - the girls' first 'official' portrait!

*a visitor*

I was sitting on my bed this evening, minding my own business drying Freya's hair, when this delightful creature landed on my windowsill:


Now, I don't mind birds, inasmuch as I don't have a phobia of them, but this one is SO tame - note the tags - and s/he has been staring in to my bedroom for nearly an hour. Ed opened the window to take this photo (whilst I was getting increasingly hysterical in the background at the thought that s/he might fly in at any moment) and s/he looked on interestedly, but wasn't unduly worried. S/he now has some water and food in little bowls stuck with double-sided tape to the sill. Ed has looked on the 'net for some advice, and it's more than likely that s/he has just stopped to have a rest...

*tagged*
I have been tagged by the lovely Debra, and have to detail 10 things that have scared me, so here goes:

1. Friends’ erratic/dangerous driving, when we were all 17 and first learning to drive. I can remember piling 9 people into my mum’s Triumph Acclaim – this wasn’t scary so much as stupid (and illegal) – the scary part was the thought of being stopped by the police…

2. My elder daughter having a bump to the back of the head when she was just 2, and losing consciousness, albeit only for about 10 seconds; I think my heart missed several beats…she was fine within minutes, and very much enjoyed the ambulance ride to A&E…

3. My 89 year-old grandmother collapsing and losing consciousness in front of me; I am rubbish in a crisis – luckily my gorgeous sister was on hand to take charge and accompany granny to the hospital. Granny will be 95 on October 9th…

4. My elder daughter being too weak to stand having been unable to eat or drink for nearly a fortnight, and having my fears that the antibiotics were not working ignored for too long, then spending 6 days in hospital with her watching her being injected and having lines put in and bloods taken…

5.My elder daughter running out in to the road…

6. My younger daughter’s fearlessness…

7. Bungy jumping off the Kawarau Bridge, Queenstown, New Zealand…

8. Having absolutely no control over a cantering horse, and being 100% at its mercy…I had a very sore bottom the following day…

9. Not feeling in control of a situation…

10. The thought of losing either of my children…

I am going to tag Miss Sugar and Spice!

*a new week*
I am very much looking forward to the coming week; Ed is going back to work after a fortnight at home; it has been SO lovely having him at home, and we have done tons of stuff in the garden, but I now *need* to have the house to myself for a little while as the place (indoors) looks like a pigsty. Anja is doing full days at school, every day except Tuesday, when she and I are having a day out with some friends. So from Wednesday, she'll be properly at school. YAY!!

*indian summer party*

Our invitation to Jase and Beck's 'indian summer' party arrived ages ago, and I have been looking forward to it all summer! Anyway, the day finally arrived today, and we set off for deepest Wiltshire on an afternoon that promised to be distinctly unsummery, but the weather turned out to be an irrelevance, as the company and the food were so delightful that the weather didn't matter. And it didn't rain, which, in September in the UK, is about as much as you can ask for! Thank you, Beck and Jase, very much - we all had a fantastic afternoon and evening.




My food photography is still in its infancy, so please bear with me!!


Dolly daydream enjoying the party...


Anja investigating the beautifully prepared children's lunch and surprise bags...

As for me, I am SO tired!! Just about to get in to bed and read the paper...

*proud mama moment*

Indulge me for just a minute, please. I have written previously about my concerns over Freya settling in to school this year, and also about the enormous pressures that are placed on the children at school at such a young age. At Freya's school, they hold a celebration assembly on a Friday morning to which parents and friends are invited; I toddled along this morning, as I usually do, to join in the singing and to share in the applause for any children being rewarded for whatever reason this week. The '*name of school* pig' is awarded in celebration assembly to one child, only if a teacher has put forward a special nomination to the headmistress - some weeks the pig stays at school because there are no nominations. The recipient of the first pig of this school year is...*drum roll, please*...FREYA!!



She gets to wear the piggy badge until next Friday, and the wooden pig that she's cradling in the photo sits on her desk for the week. If there is an award next Friday, Freya has to hand it on to the next person in assembly, otherwise it goes back to the head's office. Her teacher said that she'd been "working her socks off" since the start of term, and that she'd "settled really well" - such a relief.

In other news, Anja, Ed and I have been hard at work in the garden again today, after the rain scuppered any chance we had of getting out there yesterday. I got ten winter pansies free at the garden centre this morning, because I'd spent over £10, so Anja claimed these as her own, and planted them in my blue pots; she has taken to referring to them as "my girls" and has been talking to them, and encouraging them to grow!



Do you garden in pink sparkly shoes worn on the wrong feet?



We've just about finished the patch at the end of the drive; the grasses are in, and I'm really pleased with how it looks. They should all spread a little to fill in some of the gaps, and hopefully this patch will now require very little in the way of maintenance, just the odd bit of trimming back from time to time, and perhaps some removal of weeds. Because it's a long, thin patch, it's difficult to get a decent photo, but this gives the general idea:



I've also planted up six pots with a variety of daffodil, tulip and crocus bulbs for some colour in the late winter/early spring months; I've never planted bulbs before (I am a hopeless gardener) so I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed that I've done it properly, and wait to see what happens in February/March!!

*oh, the shame...*

Mother and I are losing our marbles. No question. We set off this morning for a leisurely run to the nursery, not five minutes in the car from home, to look for some grasses to plant in amongst the gravel that Ed shovelled and spread yesterday. It was pouring with rain, and because my 'waterproof' coat was definitely leaking - I could feel big drips of rain running down my back - we decided that our hearts weren't in it, and left to go another five minutes down the road to a little coffee shop, which is attached to a farm shop. Waitress service, so we duly ordered a cappuccino (for mum) and a decaff cappuccino (for me); the waitress left our bill with the coffees, which we gratefully drank, watching the rain continue to pour down outside, then gradually ease as the sky brightened and the grey clouds receded. "Ready?" I asked, once we'd both drained our cups and smacked our lips appreciatively. "Yes!" exclaimed mother, so off we went. Merrily on our way, stroll back to the car, drive car ten minutes back to my house. Mother comes in (briefly) to say hello to Anja, before getting ready to leave for home, to cook dad's lunch. Mother just about to get into her car, when I say "Oh, SH*T!!!! Did you pay the bill at Hiller's?" A look of abject horror comes over mum's face, as she says "NO! I didn't..." "Don't worry!" I say, "I will phone them, and take the money straight over!" "Will you?" says Mum. "Here's £5 - my treat!!" And off she sped, back wheels spinning in the gravel as she did so. So, off I went, and straight away phoned the coffee shop, beginning "Hello, this is extremely embarrassing, but..." and I got no further before the (very nice) woman at the other end said, "Yes, we know, two cappuccinos!" She was so nice, saying not to worry about it, drop it in the next time you're passing, that as soon as I came off the phone I dissolved into floods of tears at the huge relief of not being thought of as a crook and a thief...so Ed took pity on me, and took the money himself.

Thanks, hun.

*little miss fix it!*

Anja is far happier playing outside and being busy than stuck in in front of the television, so whilst Ed and I were slaving over garage doors and giant bags of gravel, she helped herself to grandad's very old tool box, and set about 'fixing' her bike, chatting away to herself all the while. Do you like the pirate trousers - she dressed herself this morning...





The latest Letterbox catalogue plopped through our letterbox this morning, and Anja has spied her perfect gift - she is absolutely beside herself at the thought of one day possibly owning such a beauty as this:


Anja's idea of paradise in a box!!!

I had seen this very same tool set before last Christmas, but the age guide says "3+ though more suited to 6+" - Anja will be 5 in February, but I think that under careful supervision she'd be quite safe with this. I think it might well be going on Father Christmas's list - apologies for mentioning the man with the big white beard this early in September...

Ed and I have made brill progress in the garden today, so mum and I are going plant shopping tomorrow morning to get some grasses to put in amongst the gravel; I think it is going to look great, but I'll hold off posting any photos until it's finished.

Freya has had to write about herself for her first piece of homework in year 2; we were told that, across the week, the children should spend no more than 20 minutes on homework, so with that in mind, I was determined to let her go at her own pace, and not to write it for her. This is what she wrote: "My name is Freya. I am 6. I have a sosig dog and she is called Rudi. I have blond her and blowe eyes. I have a sister called Anja. She is 4. I have two cusuns and they are called Jacob and Caleb." I can't ask for much more than that, can I??!!!

*ruby tuesday*

Ho hum. Today wasn't a particularly 'ruby' day, but in the absence of a better, more witty title, it'll have to suffice.

I have spent the day looking more and more like the incredible hulk as the day has progressed, and no, I don't have any photos to prove it. The garage doors I'm sanding are green, and with each downward, then upward motion with the sandpaper, I have been releasing the tiniest particles of bright green dust into the air, and onto my hair, under my fingernails, all over my arms, and my face (unwittingly transferred from my hands). If I hadn't been wearing a well-sealed face mask, I can only imagine what colour my snot would have been this evening. Too much information? I apologise. I am finding it tediously boring in the extreme, inspite of the fact that I've been listening to my iPod whilst sanding. Next time, I will definitely pay someone to do this job; I thought it would be worth the satisfaction of doing it myself - I was wrong...

Ah well, it should be finished tomorrow, and no doubt by the time my next post rolls around, I'll be rejoicing!!

I haven't taken any photos today, so I'm debating whether or not I should leave this post photo-less, which I hate doing, as I much prefer to see a photo in posts on other people's blogs, or whether you are due another dose of 'Children of the 70's', which is a too-easy way of fulfilling the requirement for a photo!! Just off to have a trawl, and see whether there are any gems in the archive...

*one lazy trawl later*

Slightly later vintage than the first instalment; these are circa 1976/77, and this time feature matching outfits (and haircuts) which, by now, had become the norm.





Giggle away...!!!

*quick postscript*

Thank you, darling Siani, for your card, posted in Sydney on Friday, and delivered to me first thing this morning; it would hardly have arrived sooner if you'd brought it yourself. Was just what I needed - love you!

*i can see a rainbow...*

...and here she is!! Yes, today was Freya's first day at Rainbows - a new pack has been founded in the village, and she was at the inaugural meeting this afternoon, resplendent in her bright red baseball cap and funky polo shirt. I am having to bite my tongue and resist the urge to ask her for a large fries and flame-grilled Whopper...



She had a fantastic time, came home brimming with enthusiasm, and looking forward to their next meet a week today.

Anja had her second morning in school, this time unaccompanied, and she, too, had a smashing time - she didn't really want to come home at lunchtime, but she was shattered so I think it's probably a good thing that she only did half a day. She's in again on Thursday morning, and then full days next week, every day except Tuesday.

I spent part of the afternoon sanding down the garage doors in preparation for painting them; have chosen a rich burgundy colour to replace the faded green, currently the tattiest doors in the vicinity, but not for much longer, oh NO! Ed and I went to B&Q and Jewsons this morning, and have bought membrane, log roll etc. to spruce up the front, and are taking delivery of a BIG bag of gravel on Wednesday. I can't wait to get it finished - Ed has borrowed his mum's rotivator to get all of the tree roots and weeds out of the patch we're working on. What fun we will have tomorrow, and no distractions either, as we've had notice that our electricity is going to be off between 9am and 4pm - I didn't think they could do that, but evidently they can...wish us luck!!

*more blackberries, and a pogo stick*

Freya had a sort of little person's version of a pogo stick for her birthday, with a big yellow ball on the bottom to bounce on, so she has been out in the garden today, desperately trying to achieve more than a couple of bounces before falling off. It comes complete with a variety of irritating melodious tunes and blooper-type noises to accompany said practice, a veritable cacophony to entertain and, no doubt, amuse the neighbours on a peaceful Sunday afternoon. I thought the best way to show her how to do it would be to get on myself, but, in the words of my darling husband, "you'll definitely break it if you get on, definitely..." so I left her to it, and in a surprisingly short space of time she had it mastered:



We've also been blackberry picking in the sunshine this afternoon:





It was great fun!! The blackberries were plump and ripe, and very easy to pick. Anja was going to save hers to have with her breakfast tomorrow morning, but ended up mashing them in the bag and eating the resulting coulis with a spoon - taking great delight in doing so.



This was my paltry collection; I was too busy keeping an eye on three children and remembering to take photos to pick very many - they were sweet and delicious, nonetheless:



I didn't eat the acorns...

*it's not all work, work, work...*

*sigh* - another six weddings today, three registering, three conducting - and it has started to feel a bit like a conveyor belt. Our marriages were at 11.00, 11.30, 12.00, 13.00, 14.00 and 15.00, the first three at the office, and the next three at three different venues, here, here, and here. They all went very smoothly, but it was such a rush hopping from one to the next that I couldn't honestly say I enjoyed the day, although it did go very quickly. Anyway, I don't have any more weddings in September, just a few mornings at the end of the month registering births and deaths in the office.

We have taken delivery of a skip, and our mission over the next 7 days before Ed goes back to work is to 'landscape' the front and back gardens, and get rid of some more of the clutter that we seem, yet again, to have amassed. I say landscape - Ed and I are doing it ourselves, and I have a vision of how I want it to look, which takes in tall grasses and neat gravel, but whether the end result will bear any resemblance to the vision, only time will tell. I will take some before shots tomorrow, and hopefully by the end of the week it will all be beautifully tidy, easily manageable, and I will cease to feel embarrassed about the state of our gardens! Our near neighbours keep their gardens meticulously weed-free and well-kept, and to be honest with you, I wouldn't want to live next door to us at the moment!!! I don't know where our respective mothers' green finger genes went, but they weren't passed on to either Ed or I. I think we will probably end up painting the garage doors in a further bid to spruce up the front of the house.

I stopped by Toya's blog today, and in her latest post she has taken up a challenge to post photos of some of her earliest layouts, and it got me to thinking about some of my 'beauties' from the early days when I first discovered scrapping, two and-a-half years ago. Non-Bazzill cardstock (I will freely admit to being a Bazzill snob!!), stickers, teddy bear die cuts, the works. When I'm feeling a bit braver, I'll post a couple - maybe later this week!! I hope I've come a long way since then, but it's such a subjective thing, I suppose.

Au sujet de, I am *this* close to embarking upon some proper scrapping; I haven't done a layout for months, and I'm not really sure why. It's got to the point now where I'm almost afraid to commit patterned paper to Bazzill for fear of making a complete hash of it...what if I can't 'do' it any more??!! I've now taken delivery of my large photo order from Snapfish, so I really have no excuse not to do it. Wish me luck, ladies...

*a postscript to today...*

Thelma and Louise, anyone?

*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!

*knew it wouldn't last...*

Poor old Freya-chops did not want daddy to leave her at school this morning, and he ended up having to take her in, to be prised off him by her lovely teacher, Miss Mahoney (pronounced Marney, but we have christened her Miss M'Honey at home, as it seems far more appropriate!!) Anyway, she came out of school with a yellow smiley face sticker on her cardi, given to her by the aforementioned Miss M'Honey as a reward for cheering up as soon as daddy had turned the corner this morning. Honestly, I don't think I can go through another bout of separation issues; I had it literally all the way through nursery, when I had to leave a teary-faced 3 year-old every single morning. No fuss from me, there was no way I was going to pander to it, but it carried on right the way through the year. Reception year wasn't quite so bad, although there were a few weeks at the start when it was touch and go. Year 1, this time last year, was pretty bad again, both at the start of term, and after Christmas after Freya had a spell in hospital (which, of course, was totally understandable.) I had hoped she'd outgrown it, though, and she was off to such a positive start Tuesday and yesterday. Ah well, we'll just have to see how we go. If necessary, I'll start another sticker chart - it worked last year...

Anja was frustrated not to be going to school today; she's not in again until next Monday, and then just for the morning, and then not again until Thursday, again, only for half a day. She is desperate to get back in there, and I am trying to keep her entertained whilst Freya's at school, but I think she's had enough of me after well over 6 weeks' holiday!!

In desperation, I have signed up to this diet plan today; I had hoped to be able to manage it myself, but I need something to give me that added incentive to keep going, and this site has recipe plans, shopping lists, a diary and all sorts of hints and tips - £1.75 a week seems like a small price to pay if it works, and not a lot to lose if it doesn't! We'll see...

*starting school*

Anja has had a lovely first morning at school! She painted a self-portrait, complete with HUGE black eyelashes and big blue eyes, read a story with the teacher, played outside in the Reception class play area, and generally had a thoroughly enjoyable time. Freya was also quite happy to go back this morning, and we had a very leisurely walk down to school, with both girls chatting all the way there.



Anja and I will be walking back down to collect Freya at 3 - Anja has already decided she's too tired to walk, so I foresee a trying time ahead!!

*and off she goes...*

Confidently, skipping down the drive this morning, hand-in-hand with daddy. Freya was happy and excited when she left the house - long may it continue.





Hope everyone else starting back today has a fantastic beginning to the new term!

*later that same day*

Well! Freya had a fantastic start to the new term, and came home full of beans, and very chatty, telling us all about her day. I spent the day making final preparations for Anja's first day tomorrow - sorting out her PE kit ("what's PE, mum?") - she, meanwhile, has 'packed' her book bag: flashcards (her 'key words'), books, top trumps cards (2 packs), a little pair of trousers ("painting trousers, mum"), her legitimate painting smock, pens, pencils...it weighs a ton, and she can carry it for about five steps before having to put it down!!! I am going to indulge her, and let her take it all tomorrow, as I am in with her tomorrow morning - yes, we parents are obliged to stay for the morning!! - and then I'll explain that she needs to leave most of it at home. She was too excited to sleep this evening - I thought she'd never go. I have been instructed to tie a blue ribbon on her book bag so that she knows which one is hers when they're all together.

Sweet dreams, all :)

*all ready - sore fingers a-plenty!*

Yes, I have very sore fingers this evening from spending the best part of the day sewing in name tapes, taking up hems, and altering one of Ed's shirts to make a painting apron for Freya. I am seriously considering investing in a thimble, as the middle finger I use to push the needle through the fabric when I'm sewing is in a very sorry state!! Freya is all ready for back-to-school in the morning; she told me at bedtime tonight that she is very excited about having a new classroom and a new teacher - no apparent anxiety, such a relief. Ed has two weeks' holiday from work, and Freya has requested that daddy walk her to school on her first day - bless her, I think she wanted to redress the balance, as Anja has decided that she wants me to accompany her on her first morning on Wednesday. Freya didn't want daddy to feel left out - he is more than happy to oblige. Now, since I am going to be posting 'first day' photos of the girls over the next couple of days, I thought I would post this photo of me in my first year at primary school. It had definitely seen better days, and was then lovingly restored for me by Anam, some time ago.



I know, I was such a cutie - I don't know what went wrong...

I was very happy at school, both primary and secondary; I was quite quiet at primary school, and probably didn't come into my own until I was in my early teens, but I remember primary school as a very happy, easy, secure place. My Reception teacher was a wonderful woman called Mrs Newman; she was larger-than-life in every sense - she had very black hair that cannot possibly have been natural, she wore big print dresses, and had fancy glasses on a long chain. She was extremely kind, and almost granny-like - that's how I remember her, anyway. I know she had an all-enveloping bosom, and a nice warm lap, and I spent probably far too long perched on it! Her husband, Freddie, was caretaker at school and they were a fantastic double-act. Happy days...

*two weddings...*

Not as a guest, I was there to work! Since giving up my day-to-day job as a registrar of births, deaths and marriages in May in order to spend more time with the children, I have done the odd bit of cover here and there for my employers on an 'as and when' basis, which basically boils down to me working when I want to, and not when I don't!! Anyway, I had the opportunity to officiate at two weddings this afternoon, one here, and the second here. Both went very smoothly; I registered the first one (did all the legal bits, completing the marriage register and certificate) and conducted the second one, which I thoroughly enjoyed, as I haven't 'performed' since the end of July! I have another Saturday this month, and then that's all for September - just enough to enable me to keep my hand in, but not so much that I wonder why I'm doing it again.

The house is again very quiet as both girls are away at sleepovers, Freya at her friend Chloe's house, and Anja at grandma and grandad's, who took pity on her when they realised how cheesed off she was that Freya was going to be away tonight! They are both returning to the fold tomorrow morning, and Freya's friend Dani is coming for the day. Last day before return to school on Tuesday (Freya), and Anja starts in Reception on Wednesday, when mummy gets to accompany her for the whole morning!

I blogged yesterday about my sister and I, and the many photos that I have of our childhood. Sian is only 14 months younger than I am, and we have always been incredibly close. For the past five and-a-half years she has made her home in Sydney, and I miss her more than I really care to admit, to the point where I can't allow myself to think about it too much, or I would be a permanently blubbering wreck! In that time, I have seen her twice, once in 2003, and again last Christmas when she came home for 3 weeks, which was just wonderful. After the photos of yesteryear (!), this is how we looked at Christmas 2005:



That's me on the right!!

Just before I leave, a blog recommendation; the link is in my side bar, so some of you may have visited already. This beautiful blog is kept by Bowie Style, a "designer and trend forecaster with a passion for pattern in all its forms" - it is updated most weekdays, and is just a great stop if you're in need of a little eye candy, or an injection of inspiration. I *heart* it!

*children of the 70's...*

Inspired by some of my international blogging cyber friends, particularly Megan, whose 'Flashback Friday' feature has had me in stitches on more than one occasion, I am pleased to bring you an occasional slot which I am calling 'Children of the 70's' (or, more aptly, 'Mother, What Were You Thinking?') I am fortunate enough to have many, many photos of my childhood, due in part to the fact that my grampa was an avid photographer - just family snaps, but he always had his camera with him - and so our childhood was well and truly captured for posterity. This first photo was taken in 1974 - I would have been around two and-a-half, and my sis would have been just over one. Just look at that gorgeous tandem pushchair - I had to perch my terry-nappied bottom on to the tiny seat at the front, whilst my sister luxuriated in the roominess of the back seat!!! What's particularly scary for me is that this could so easily be a photo of my girlies.



I have to confess, I do LOVE the coordinating lilac and purple too-short dresses that we are wearing in this pic; I will have to check with mum whether these were crafted by her, as she made 90% of our clothing, with the remaining 10% being hand-knitted by our granny. Readers of my blog from the beginning will know that I have recently purchased some fabric from ReproDepot with a view to making some clothes for the children. Once they are back at school, and I have had a chance to have a proper de-clutter and sort, I will begin the search for an easy pattern.

I'll leave you this evening with another shot from 1974 - this is what happens when your granny is an ace knitter! And check out the Paddington wellies on my sister!!



Oh, and our quest for school stuff was successful today, shoes, pinafores, socks, vests have all been purchased, tried on, and put away in readiness for start of term on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. You just know I'll be back with 'first day of school' photos this week - sorry to be so predictable!!

Sweet dreams, all.

*a great cause...*

Got some photos that need a new lease of life? Visit fellow scrapper Anita's site and raise funds to help her treat her very poorly sister. It's a wonderful thing she is doing and well worth a few pounds or dollars of your hard-earned moolah!

*countdown to school...*

It was SO lovely having Kirsty and Ellie here for a few days - thank you for coming girls - you are most welcome any time :)

Now that Kirsty and Ellie have gone, the countdown to school has started in earnest; after a quick recce through the girls' wardrobes to assess our current uniform stock (!) I realised that we were desperately in need of new blouses, cardigans, pinafores (I just don't do skirts at the moment - love 'em in pinnies!!), cycling shorts and a white t-shirt for Freya for PE, and *new shoes* for Anja. Quick scoot in to town, blouses, cardis, PE stuff - no problem. Pinafores - not a navy pinafore to be had in Evesham, and Anja's feet are SO narrow, that none of the styles she tried on in Clarks would fit, even the 'E' fitting. I am resigned to having to fork out the extra £10 for a pair of Startrites, and we are off to Worcester tomorrow to continue our quest, and also for the navy pinafores. There is an M&S in Worcester, so I'm sure we should be OK for pinnies. If it's warm enough next week, they may go back in their summer dresses, but the weather at the mo is fairly poo, so I'm thinking they'll probably be in full winter uniform. At this stage, I am not feeling sad about the fact that my 'baby' starts school next week; Anja is 4 going on 40, with a vocabulary and mannerisms to match, so I am not at all worried about how she will fare at school. She is SO ready for it. Freya, on the other hand, has her Key Stage 1 SATS at the end of this academic year - how is it right that children as young as 5 and 6 are already 'streamed' at school? In Freya's class of 28, they are in 3 distinct groups with differentiated work. Freya's class will be hot-housed this year with preparation for their SATS at the forefront of everything they do; as the parent of the youngest child in the year (I know I bang on about it, but I really feel she's at a disadvantage) it just doesn't seem right that they are put under so much pressure so early on. Do I just need to 'get real' and accept that this is the way of the world? Who on earth will give a monkeys what she got in her KS1 SATS when she's making job applications in 15 years' time? Answers on a postcard, please...