Strawberry Jammy Badger playing the bagpipes :-)

Will you anchor hold through the storms of life

This week I thought my life was going to change, I was sure of it but apparently I was wrong.  When life throws rubbish at you what do you do?  head down and carry on?  ignore it and hope it will go away? actively pretend that life is good?

Personally I think I probably stick my head in the sand (by which I of course mean write fiction) and hope things will go away. they don't but I can only hope ;-)

Daughter number one went back to school this week after a reasonably fun holiday, busy with making beautiful things and visits to see people.  She was very excited about it, as kids of her age tend to be, but by Thursday (or sheep day as she decided it could be called, something to do with it still being the same thing whatever we called it!!)  she didn't want to go because she was missing her sister! 

Daughter number 2 learnt to talk over Easter, she can now say 'mam', which she has refused to say for 8 months since she learnt how to say 'dad' and 'Lexie' but with it comes 'drink', 'help', 'up', 'lift', 'cuddle', 'kiss'.  It appears she's learnt to use my name just so she can ask me to do things!  A mother work and all that I guess.

Anyway maybe life will change next week or maybe it wont but I can be certain that the little ones will change so maybe I should make do with that :-)

All weathers in one day

Today I have seen snow, sleet, hailstones, rain, sun and wind and most of it just when it was needed.  Watching football in the sun on a pitch slippy with rain, snow and sleet led to a very interesting game even if it wasn't exactly a classic.  A draw wasn't a bad result and, for us really the effect is minimal at this time of the season.  Mid table obscurity is a welcome position compared to where we could have been.

The wind, luckily, had passed us by in time for the football but thanks to my wonderful Auntie (I don't think I'm supposed to call you that any more am I?  what do I call you now? Friend?) I had made use of it to see something amazing. 

It surprises me how much I like sculptures that exist for everyone to see, the angel of the north, that I pass regularly, still makes me smile everytime eventhough I'm sure I should just have got used to it by now.  The wearside Shipyard monuments are something I could explore for hours and the brick train that hides somewhere near Darlington is something I want to find again and have a really good look at.

This one though needed a perfectly windy day to make it just amazing.  It's called the Singing Ringing Tree and with the wind it does just that.  I have to admit that I wasn't really sure what I would find when I went to look and I never imagined that it would produce the sounds it did but anyone who hasn't seen it should make it part of any visit they make to East Lancashire (I know most people in the world will never visit but you should just for this)

PB.


(There are days I spend writing fiction, this is not one of them)

Easter brings chocolate.

I can't believe how much chocolate two small children can end up with when Easter arrives.

It does, of course, mean that they require help with eating it.  It's a hard task but someone has to do it ;-) 

Easter is a very funny time of year so many changes are taking place.  Easter marks the ending of the allotment winter and the start of the new growing season which means many jobs to do.  Lots of digging and preparing the earth of this years attempts to grow vegetables, fixing things that have broken over winter or that have aged past use, and starting little seeds off in the greenhouse. 

Easter isn't just about chocolate, although there is always lots of it, it is about life returning to the earth for another year and bringing joy and happiness to the world.

first week over :-(

One week into the Easter holidays and I am rather tired but couldn't be happier with the things we've done and the week we've had.  This is a picture of a painted egg, apparently it's some sort of alien, I'm guessing from a very pink planet.

We've been visting family who we see often but never for very long so it was nice for the little ones to to play with their cousins.  With having other people around to look after the little ones I was able to go and see a sculpture I wanted to see, which was even more amazing than I thought is would be.

We are now home from our visit and I think we have baking, swimming and making things with cellotape planned for this week so hopefully we will make the most of the rest of the holidays

Easter holiday fun

It strikes me that if anyone ever actually did look at this they would never let me know anyway because I declared at the very first post that noone would ever read this.  If anyone ever does read this feel free to say so ;-)

Easter holidays are in full swing, visiting grandparents so the littleones can play with their cousins is always fun but is a lot more hard work than just my own.  Glittery, sparkly, painted eggs, baking and story writing along with dancing and book reading make days fly by but bed time will be very welcome!!