Wednesday 29 June 2016

90th Birthday Celebrations

There has been no blog these last few days as I have been too exhausted even to think. Last weekend was my father in laws 90th birthday party. So all my children, grandchildren and  dog returned home. Accommodating them all is getting a little tricky. So Mr P and I opted for the tent in the garden. Fortunately the heavy rainfalls did not batter the tent and we slept well and remained dry! Golly where is the summer? I seem to be getting used to cycling to work with rain gear on! Yesterday it was so cold that I ended up putting my gloves on half way to work! At work I had to attend a meeting and some weeks ago we had to choose some food and I opted for a salad. I came to regret it wishing I had chosen some soup! So compromised with a pot of tea to accompany my salad - crazy weather. Guess the weather is reflecting the country too.  I have to admit to being devastated about the recent vote to leave the EU. Although I do feel rather proud of Leicester voting to remain. Think if you look at a map of the votes there is just a small dot for Leicester! I'm not going to say anymore on this topic as I am sure that for many British people this is a constant topic of conversation.


Mr P enjoying the girlies. They had a great time on the dance floor with the balloons. They probably made the most of the floor space!


Golly where does the time go - they will be three in September.


Spud enjoying the balloons. He too will be three in August.


He is such a happy chappy but he must be rather confused. Having moved from Bristol to Berwick the previous weekend and then finds himself back in Leicester. I wonder if he thinks Berwick was just a holiday?


Dumpling looking rather???????????? Grazes on her face due to falling in her new garden.


The cutting of the cake. My sister-in-law had it made with his army's regimental badge on top.


The hero of the weekend was Poppy - who let the children climb all over her, chase her around the house etc.



Well we had a great weekend and to finish it was my older daughter's birthday. Now her sister made this wonderful wreath, based on designs by Lucy from Attic 24.


I love the hedgehog and the toadstools. She made this in the middle of packing up to leave Bristol and looking after the two small children. She's amazing. Anyway I felt bad what excuse did I have for not making my daughter something. So, with little time left, decided a cushion could work out.



Well I better fly or I will be late for work. Have a good week.

Tuesday 21 June 2016

From "B" to "B"

My life just seems so full of sooo much to do. Never a dull moment, not sure how I have time to go to work! Last weekend Mr P and I travelled to Bristol to help my daughter, hubby and children move house. My son-in-law is transferring his job to Edinburgh and after much hunting around for a house to rent they eventually found one in Berwick Upon Tweed. So this is a big move and not one where you can pop back if you have left something behind or forgotten to do something! Friday night we arrived and helped by doing more cleaning - should say at this point a large chunk of the house was already cleaned and we were down to the bits you can't do until everything is packed up and furniture moved. Saturday morning we took the grandchildren out so that they could finish all the jobs.


After much discussion we headed to Portishead. It was somewhere I had particularly wanted to see before we finished returning to this area and was pleased when this venue was suggested.


Spud is full of life and has found his voice! It feels as if the moment he wakes up he does not stop talking. He's holding a police car which he took to bed during the night. But this car was a nightmare he decided three times to play with it and wakes us all up with the siren and his crying! Not what you need when you are moving.


Since our last visit Dumpling has decided that life is more fun by walking than crawling. Oh boy she's so proud of herself. Now we chose this venue because there was a park and a duck pond, but we did not realise that it was the start of the Portishead Carnival. So this was a fantastic bonus.








Mr P got to enjoy seeing some scooters, who were to be near the front of the procession.

























Spud and I went are own way and left Mr P to talk.


With an hour to go before the prcoession left we went and played in the park.


Dumpling really liked the slide but was a little weary of the speed in which she descended!


Now it was at this point in time that we get a phone call from our daughter. It was not something we wanted to hear. The removal company had phoned to say that they were not coming on Sunday but would be coming on Monday instead! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! The conversation ended with them trying to come up with an alternative whilst we carried on playing.


Seemed strange to see pipers all this way south, guess it gave Spud and Dumpling a taste of the future! Perhaps one of them may take up the bagpipes?


Spud got given a flag and thoroughly enjoyed waving the procession by. Dumpling not looking too impressed.




Time for lunch and a think.



As you can see the sandwich was eaten at top speed! Salad noooooooooooooooooooooo! Meanwhile we think about the problem and come up with an answer. The plan had always been for my daughter, the children and myself to travel to Leicester late Saturday afternoon and for them to go to Berwick on the Sunday. Mr P and her hubby were to stay overnight in Bristol, be there for the removal men, last clean up and then they would head north trying to beat the removal men. My son-in-law was due in the Edinburgh office 9am Monday. So Mr P came up with a solution - us girlies would continue to Leicester. The men would finish cleaning and too head to Leicester. Then Sunday morning my hubby would drive my son in law to Berwick - leave him with an airbed, some bedding and essentials so that he can go to work on Monday. Then Mr P would drive back to Leicester. Then my daughter and he would go back to Bristol and leave me with the grandchildren. I would have to reorganise work for Monday. So with the plan well sorted in our minds we head back to meet up and eventually leave for Leicester. Now we were going to go in my daughter's car but seems as we were all meeting up later that night in Leicester I opted to drive our car to give her a break. She was exhausted and her head throbbing.

I've probably got your heads throbbing with our plans - but be prepared to throb more! Half way home we get a phone call. Apparently the removal company had made a mistake and they were coming on Sunday! So it's back to the original plan - but oh no we've got the wrong cars! So much more thinking about this problem. Eventually come up with another plan which involved Mrs A and her hubby helping out by picking me up from a service station on the M1, the next day!

So Sunday knowing that the children were going to have a long journey in the car we decided to wear them out in the local park.


Spud was not too impressed with his sister joining him on the climbing frame and suggested that she should be back in her pram!


Oh he loved this rocking horse, managed to get it going really fast.


Then it was time to head up the M1 to meet up with their daddy and Mr P. We had a picnic in the service station carpark, along with Mrs A and her hubby.


Note Darthvader has centre position!


Finally it was time to part. Mr P driving our car, with the grandchildren and mummy north. For me to return to Leicester with Mrs A and hubby. Their daddy went in their car on his own in order to get ro Berwick as quickly as possible to collect the keys and meet the removal men. They finally arrived around 6.45pm. The children were apparently delighted with their new home, running around the garden in the pouring rain. The removal men were lovely not only had they done all the loading of the vans, driving the long journey, unloading but stayed behind to help put up the beds. They were amazing men, from Romania. So kind of them, as they still had to drive back to London for their next job.  Well all that remains is for me to wish you all a good week. Bye.

Wednesday 15 June 2016

Flying Visit

Last Friday we made a hasty retreat from Leicester only to end up spending the next 4 hours crawling along the M1, to Leeds. We were sooo disappointed as we wanted to have time seeing our gorgeous grandchildren. Sadly we saw them for a brief few minutes before it was time for their beds. But oh the sight of seeing their gorgeous smiling faces greet us as we climbed out the car was enough to melt  the frustrations of the journey.


Even though we only saw them a few weeks ago their faces have changed and now I am not so confident as to who is who.


Breakfast time - but she is waiting for the flash!


Again the same with her sister...



The girlies have decided that food isn't too bad and eat their cereals with far less persuasion than in previous months.

Then it was time for me to disappear to the dentist - my pet hate. My coping mechanism is to have the first appointment of the day. The receptionists take a little persuading before they comprehend that my next 6 monthly check up cannot be the 2nd appointment of the day - it has to be the first one and I'll happily wait a few more weeks for the time I want. Back to watch the girls snuggling up to grandad.




Then you can only sit still for a short while before play fights begin....



Then time for a few stories.


Followed by grandad having to do some leg and stomach exercises!


Fortunately the one girl was not soooo sure about balancing on grandad's legs - much to his relief, as he nearly had them both. Then came the very sad moment when we had to leave as I had to be back in Leicester for lunch time. The choir I sing in was having their concert in the evening and the afternoon was filled with the rehearsal. Have to be honest and say I cried. I really didn't want to leave.



So hard to say goodbye to these cute girlies. Hopefully we will be seeing them soon and we are going to have them all to ourselves for a whole weekend, in September! Whooppee!

Tuesday 7 June 2016

Uppingham and Grrrrrrrr

Now my Grrrrrrrrrrrr is because my laptop has been bugging me for I don't know how long to have Windows 10. Now my clever computer son says "mum don't bother with Windows 10". So I have been saying "no", but then a few days ago whilst I was busy listening to a story download from the library on my laptop it suddenly went quiet. I went over to discover it had just started downloading Windows 10. I was not impressed, in fact I was cross with my laptop, but it's very difficult to tell a laptop off! If I could I would have. So whether I like it or not I have these new version of Windows. But my next grrrrrrrr is I cannot work out how to sort out my photographs, the way it was displayed before has disappeared and I'm left with something else. Fortunately or unfortunately, for my son, I am seeing him on Friday night and therefore please please please hoping he will sort me out. So at this point in time of writing I have no idea if I can show you any photographs. Well lets find out.........


Saturday dad came over and after a horrid week of cold dull days the sun made an appearance. So we opted to pop over to Uppingham. The National Garden Scheme had some local gardens and the posh Uppingham School open to view the delightful flowers.


Phew that worked! It was so lovely to be able to walk around the school. There have been a few times when dad and I have stretched our eyes to see into this school and wonder what it looks like.





Guessing this is the height of the iris season as we saw many on our travels and I remember in Monet's garden seeing lots there too.


Now we did get told what the name of these flowers were but it was too complicated for me to remember.


Ther had been a light shower earlier in the morning and the drops left in these leaves look to me like diamonds.


I love the drama of these flowers - sorry don't know the name of them.


Realised that I had never walked around the village, only ever aimed for the shops. So it was lovely to see some of the cute cottages.


I've never before been to one of these afternoons and initially it felt strange wondering, with permission, into someone's back garden. But soon dad and I got the idea.


Should say the money charged (£5) goes to many local charities and it certainly was an entertaining afternoon.


To me this flower looks as if someone came along with a paintbrush and added five strokes of colour to the centre.


Afternoon teas were served in the church halls but the heating had been left on and so we downed the teas as fast as possible as we were melting!


Shame we could not have had tea and cakes outside in one of the gardens.


I know these flowers are called "bleeding hearts".


Final photo from a school window! Have a good week and I think here we are guaranteed some weather that actually resembles summer - hurray!