October sun and sea

Out of interest I looked back at photos from this time last year and the year before. It looked something like this and involved lots of fungus hunting and autumn leaves (and a smaller me!).



Today was hot. It has been hot all week. Hotter than I remember a full week in the summer holidays being. So we went to the beach. The tide times were on our side and there were miles of sand when we got there with a very low tide.



We swam. All of us! Even little Mr "I don't swim in the sea", who, it turns out, loves swimming in the sea. The kids got cold after a short while, but Angelika and I stayed in for almost an hour.





It was a really lovely day, more so because of its completely unexpected nature. The kids played for hours and we stayed much longer than planned.

I'm sure next weekend will be cold, damp and filled with fungus hunting... I enjoy that almost as much!

Recent cakes

One for the granddaughter of a work colleague, the other for Hayley's birthday.

Roller disco

I stayed with Michael and Jamie over the weekend and was informed, without any warning, that we were going to rollerdisco on Saurday evening. Yes, I freaked out a little bit, but went along with it anyway and I'm so glad I did because I LOVED it!




So yes, my children will be dragged to the rollerdisco at the local leisure centre and I will be buying myself a pair of skates!

Shoe laces

This has been a very long time coming. Tyran has been unable to tie his shoe laces despite numerous attempts to teach him over the years. I know his fine motor skills aren't what they should be, but this is ridiculous, even for him. So the other day, in a "this worked at school for something else that was annoying me" type approach I got a little annoyed told the kids that they weren't going anywhere until they'd learned to tie their own shoe laces. See, the thing is that they both wear converse, and they need to learn - for my sanity!

And then I got clever. I tackled the small child first. Knowing that she'd be motivated to learn to do her laces before Tyran as part of her desire to be the first and best meant that she'd learn quickly. And she did. It took 2 goes and voila! Perfect bows.



I then used the "look, your 5 year old sister can tie her laces" approach with Tyran and funnily enough, it took one go and he'd mastered it. I haven't had to tie any laces other than my own for the past 3 days and let me tell you it's the little things that matter!

Party in the USA

Gotta love a bit of Miley Cyrus on a Sunday morning!

Beauty

I woke up yesterday morning and realised that I hadn't taken Debbie to the South Downs and it was her last day here. It's incredibly beautiful there and I didn't want her to go home not having seen it. So we went.

Love the wheat fields, love the views, love the wide open space and how, no matter how many other people are around, I feel alone and at peace there.



And still almost all the photos are of the children!







We had to dodge rain clouds- we could clearly see the rain coming down hard in the distance- unsuccessfully towards the end of our walk, but it was still a lovely couple of hours out. Just wish we'd had more time.

London through different eyes - a photo post

London without children. London with lots of laughter! Didn't get nearly as many photos as I wanted to because it rained so hard.

Spitalfields market - never been before. Full of amazing things. what people think will sell. What people will buy!! Far too much taxydermy, but this snarling fox surrounded by ducklings made me laugh.


Rabbit... sculptures? These made us laugh so hard. Not brilliant photos, but they capture the moment.



Borough Market - also a new experience. Could spend all day wandering around sampling and buying amazing food.


Lamp post that makes me shudder but that Debbie loved.



Walking along the South Bank. Poses that people make for photos. I always wonder what they think and remember when they look back at holiday photos 10 years down the line!


A little further on, some teenagers passing the time in a way that makes my heart stop as a mother, but wows me as a human.




Opposite, art.




A beach on the South Bank for Londonders who don't get sun and sea when they'd like it, complete with beach huts and bunting.





Street performers. The expressions on the faces of people in the crowd make me laugh. They range from awe and fascination to complete disinterest.



And then some random "this is London" shots.