Gooey Cinnamon bars

ok - This is what these delicious treats are called, but in truth, aren't that gooey.
This is a very simple tray bake that I tried for the first time today. It doesn't contain any eggs, which is useful as my chooks seem to be on strike at the moment.
I make mine in a well greased roasting tin.

8oz plain flour                                       2tbsp Demerara sugar
2tsp baking powder                               2tsp ground cinnamon
8oz soft brown sugar                             2tbsp chilled butter
1tbsp melted butter
8 fl oz milk

pre heat oven to 180 / gas mark 4

mix together the flour, soft brown sugar and baking powder. Stir in the milk and melted butter. Mix well then pour into a well greased tin.
In a separate bwol mix together the cinnamon and demerara sugar. and sprinkle over the top of the mix in the roasting tin. Press little pieces of the chilled butter into the surface.
Bake for about 30 mins.
The butter will make holes in the mixture and go a little gooey as it cooks.
Leave to cool in the tin and then cut into bars.

Enjoy x

Weigh in Wednesday

I forgot to post last week -sorry! This was partly due to recovering from a nasty bout of tonsillitis.
This week I'm very excited to announce that I have lost 3 lbs. This has been an awesome week :-)

I'm still spurred on by my new found passion of cycling. My theory is that the less I weigh then the easier getting up the hills will be. I'm also still going to pilates and have been 100% food optimising following the slimming world guidelines.

I'm starting feel better too. I have  loads more energy and confidence. Especially when clothes feel too big or when I manage to do the zip up on a skirt that hasn't seen the light of day for a couple of years.

That target is getting closer!

1 stone 6 lbs (20 lbs) in 13 weeks.
Current weight: 10st 12lbs 5oz

Holiday at Sandy Balls

Last week we stayed at this fabulous place, Sandy Balls near Fordingbridge in the New Forest. Although I love camping, I'm not quite brave enough to do it with the two little ones (maybe next year). So we decided to opt for the 4 berth oak lodge. There are loads of other accommodation options from bringing your own tent to pre-constructed tents to lodges etc.

The lodge had a double bedroom with en suite bathroom and a small twin room and family bathroom. There was an open plan living room & kitchen. The only downside was that we couldn't fit our travel cot into either of the bedrooms. This wasn't really a problem for us as we co-sleep with Esme for most of the night anyway.

This is the perfect location for an activity based holiday. You are in the middle of the New Forest so you have excellent access to cycle paths and bridleways for a family cycling or walking adventure. It was lovely to re-discover my bike. We even managed to get a second hand Burley Cub cycle trailer for Esme to go in.

Thomas at the Toddlers adventure playground

As she isn't sitting up yet we ended up strapping her car seat into the trailer using the belts and lots of bungee cords. I was a bit nervous about putting Esme in the trailer but after checking on the CTC website and reading lots of cycling blogs I was reassured. Esme loved riding in the trailer and could be heard cooing and singing to herself around the Sandy Balls site. Thomas went on the bike seat behind Paul.

Sandy Balls also has an indoor and outdoor pool, which we visited everyday. I think my kids are water babies. It was lovely to see Thomas' confidence in water growing day by day and Esme enjoyed floating and kicking in the water.

On rainy days (lets face it - UK summertime - there's gonna be a few of them) then Sandy Balls has a soft play area for children under 6 and also a range of craft activities that you can book onto. So there is plenty to do.

Looking at fishies in the River Avon (A nervous daddy holding on tight!)

Sharing the babywearing love!

I decided I was not going to put Esme in disposable nappies for our week away and packed most of our cloth nappy stash. There are laundry facilities on site so I thought I'd be able to get a wash in if we needed to. I think I somewhat over estimated how many nappies we'd need. I didn't have to do any laundry and we still had plenty of clean nappies to take home with us!

The kids (excuse the dummy, Thomas was exhausted!)

We had a fantastic time. The active week has really spurred me on to get on my bike and exercise more. We are already planning next year's holiday there. Still not sure if I'm brave enough to camp so maybe we will be back in a lodge again.

Weigh In Wednesday

I didn't post last week as I was away on holiday. In my week away I managed to gain a pound, despite cycling and swimming everyday. Admittedly, I wasn't sticking to the food optimising plan so that could explain the weight gain. A friend of mine did suggest it was a pound of pure muscle from all the exercising. I'd like to believe that, but realistically....er......no.

So this week I have gone back to the Slimming World food optimising plan (except for a couple of momentary weaknesses) and also kept the momentum going with the exercising. I got into some "good" habits on holiday and have really been enjoying cycling and running. I'm hoping to do some swimming again this week too. (My own mini triathlon!)

My biggest motivation at the moment is how much easier the running and cycling is becoming now that I'm carrying less weight around. I no longer have to push the bike up hills or stop to walk half of my running route. Its little things like those that really spur me on.

1 stone 1 1/2 lbs (15 1/2 lbs) in 11 weeks.
Current weight: 11st 3lbs 2oz

Weigh-in Wednesday

2 1/2 lbs this week which means I have lost a whole stone.
A few of my friends have commented that you can tell I've lost some weight, which to be honest, means more to me than what the scales say. I've also started to notice that my clothes are feeling a lot looser now.

I still have another stone to go so I'm going to hold off on that shopping trip until then.

14lbs (1 stone) in 8 weeks.
Current weight: 11st 4lbs 2oz

Weigh-in Wednesday

Not much to say really...... Haven't lost anything.
On the plus side, I didn't gain any weight either.

The Excuses
I know perfectly well why I didn't lose any weight. It's because I spent most of Monday afternoon stuffing my face with cake my friend's baby showers.

The Plan
That was last week. I just need to focus this week and try to have some self control.

12lbs in 7 weeks.
Current weight: 11st 6lbs 7oz

Weigh-in Wednesday

Another 2lbs off.

Despite my plans last week to do lots of exercise, it didn't quite happen! I have been walking everywhere but I didn't get to the gym, haven't managed pilates this week and haven't been swimming. In fact I've been a bit of a lazy bum!

I did, however, manage to not drink any wine this week so I'm now thinking that the wine is to blame for my slow weight loss.

My goals for the week ahead is to try and do some exercise, ideally a run or a swim.

12lbs in 6 weeks.
Current weight: 11st 6lbs 8oz

For my husband : Happy Father's Day

He's exhausted! 

A combination of working during the day and a lot of disturbed night's sleep. He is the ultimate "hands-on" dad and the kids and I are lucky to have him.

Happy Father's Day, Paulie.

Post natal Pilates

Since February I have been attending post natal pilates classes with this lovely lady.
There are 3 of us who regularly attend the classes, although this is about to increase to 7.

We bring our babies with us and we can pop in and out of the class as and when our babies need a feed or a change. Sometime the babies come into the studio with us, and sometimes Priya's husband becomes "Daddy day-care" and looks after them.

While Pilates alone won't help me lose weight (only aerobic exercise and a healthy diet will do that) it does tone muscles. Pilates focuses on your core muscles, and I've found over time that my posture has really improved. I'm now standing taller and straighter. It's also helping me to become aware of my body, posture and core muscles when I'm doing my other exercises, especially when I go for a run.
The other thing I love, is how invigorated and refreshed I feel afterwards. It really spurs me on and motivates me to exercise more.

But if I'm honest, what I love the most about these classes is the good company. As we are all mummies with similar aged babies, it's great to exchange stories and share handy hints and tips while we work on toning up our post pregnancy tums!

Weigh-in Wednesday

Another pound off.
I'm a bit disappointed though. I was hoping for more as I have been pretty good with the food. I think wine is still my major weakness and I'm not exercising anywhere near as much as should be.


This week my plan is as follows:

• Only drink wine at the weekend (and only 1 small glass in the evening)
• Go for a run/jog/walk at least twice
• Try to walk as much as possible instead of taking the car
• Go swimming once. (Taking Esme for a bob around the pool doesn't count) Aim for 40-50 lengths.
• Go to post natal Pilates.

Next week my target is to try to lose 2 lb. Just think in a couple of weeks I may well have lost a stone and reached my first big milestone. 

That thought shall be this week's motivation. 

10lbs in 5 weeks.
Current weight: 11st 8lbs 6oz

Baby loves her food!

We have been introducing Esme to new foods for about a week now. So far her favourites seem to be watery foods like melon and cucumber. I think it's because they are soft so she can get her gums in and suck out the juice.

melon boats

 As with my own diet, I've been struggling for breakfast ideas. So with a little bit of help from the internet I've found some great ideas for a BLW breakfast.

• Drop scones
• fruit and yoghurt
• toast
• raisin bread
• eggy bread
• Savoury flapjacks (follow link for recipe)
• bitesize shredded wheat (dry or with a little bit of milk soaked in)

We had drop scones this morning - which went down very well.

I was a bit worried about food waste while doing the BLW approach, but with the exception of meat, our chickens seem to enjoy polishing off the leftovers.

Savoury flapjack -perfect toddler snack or BLW nibbles

ok - I have no idea on quantities as I do this one by eye.
They are sooo yummy, imagine an oaty cheese straw, and are the perfect snack for toddlers or as a good BLW breakfast for baby to get their gums into.

Melt equal quantities of butter and cheese in a pan.
Take it off the heat and stir in enough porridge oats for it to form a gooey lump.

Spread out onto a baking tin and bake for 10-15 mins at 180 - 200.
Cut into square while still warm.

Optional extras: try adding some chopped up fresh tomato into the mix or other veg.

Weigh-in Wednesday

Another pound and a half gone!

Again, I am surprised (in a good way!).
I've been sticking to the slimming world extra easy plan during the day, however, in the evenings I've been allowing myself a couple of glasses of wine. Wine is not good for dieters. On the slimming world plan it is 8.5 syns for 175ml of red wine. You are allowed between 5-15 syns a day.

I also find breakfasts difficult, usually sticking to Bran flakes with skimmed milk. This uses up my healthy "a" and "b" choices on the plan. So this week I've been trying different things.

Good options:

• 28 g Porridge oats with skimmed milk, blueberries and a little bit of splenda sweetener (I have a sweet tooth)
• Fruit with fat free fromage frais or yogurt.
• Baked beans on 1 slice of wholemeal toast (NO BUTTER)

I find it helps to have a good variety of foods, otherwise I get bored and then start to fall off the wagon.

I've been struggling to do any "proper" exercise this week, so I've been trying to walk to the shops rather than using the car. I've also been doing some yoga stretches in the morning.
I'm hoping that next week I'll be able to do some jogging and maybe even go swimming.

I suppose it does go to show that some small changes to your diet and a little bit of exercise, really CAN make a difference - slow and steady.

9lbs in 4 weeks.
Current weight: 11st 9lbs 6oz

Baby led weaning

We went down the purée route when we started Thomas on solids. This time round I liked the idea of BLW, mostly because I'm lazy and couldn't be bothered boiling up veg to mash up.

The beauty of BLW is that we can all sit down as a family for mealtimes and Esme can eat (or gum) whatever we are having.

Esme's first meal: marmite toast fingers!


Today's lunch was sandwiches, fresh pear and banana.


Tonight's dinner will be chicken breasts, potatoes, broccoli, carrots and gravy. I can't wait to see her get her gums into that!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

An eczema treatment that works!

We have tried various lotions and potions on Thomas' skin. Some have been on prescription from doctors and others on the recommendations from friends and family. However, I have now found one that seems to be working after just 2 days and it is sooooooooo cheap and easy to do.

1 old sock
1 elastic band
handful of porridge oats
1 bath

Fill the sock with the porridge oats and ties the elastic band around the end.  Chuck the sock in the bath and run the water (usual bath temperature). Give the sock a squeeze and the bath water will turn a bit cloudy and milky. Allow yourself a good long soak (or if the bath is for your kids, then have a good splash and play with the ducks!)
Use the sock as a sponge over the particular dry areas (legs in T's case).

Voila - Beautifully soft and moisturised skin!

Weigh in Wednesday

It's Wednesday, which means weigh day.
I was not expecting much this week as I've not managed much exercise this week as Thomas has been in hospital. We've also been eating pretty rubbishly as well, grabbing sandwiches when we can and even ordered in pizza a couple of days ago!

So today's weight is 11 st 11lbs a weight loss if 1 pound.

Again, it's not great, but all going in the right direction.

Bumps and Babies

Back in February a few of us from the Southampton NCT branch decided to start up a bumps and babes group in our side of city.

We didn't want this group to be just another toddler group. The aim was to provide information and support to parents and parents to be while their children played. We can direct parents to other support groups in the area and listen to any problems and concerns they might have.

The first group was quite daunting as we weren't sure if any parent would turn up, despite the advertising. But they did turn up and some have been coming back week after week.

It has evolved into a friendly little group and I've come to really enjoy my Thursday afternoons, drinking tea, trying not to scoff biscuits and nattering about everything from breastfeeding to shopping, episiotomies and baby poo.

NCT Bumps and Babes groups are open to both members and non-members. To find out where your local bumps and babes group is, contact your local NCT branch.

http://nctpregnancyandbabycare.com/in-your-area/bumpsandbabies

New fluff to add to the sling stash

My two passions (other than my husband and kids) are my slings and the cloth nappies. I am trying to curb these addictions, but the FSOT (for sale or trade) board on the Natural Mamas forum isn't helping.

I've recently managed to acquire two beautiful second hand slings from a lovely mama in Switzerland.

These are my new beauties:

Petrol Pfau

Burgundy Pfau

Both are size 6 Didymos Pfau. I LOVE THEM!

They are already nicely broken in (one of the benefits of buying second hand) and beautifully soft and blankety. They are a dream to wrap with - Check out the back carries!

shedding the baby weight...and then some!

I managed to lose a couple of stone (28 lbs) for my wedding in 2006, but since then the weight has gradually piled back on.

I didn't put too much weight on during my pregnancy with Esme, but I was already a bit overweight. A couple of weeks ago I decided it was time that all the weight had to go!

So to give myself a bit more motivation Im making it public.

I joined slimming world 2weeks ago and it has been going well... so far. I've also been out jogging a few times, doing aerobics and going to post natal pilates.

overweight and heavily pregnant

Here's the weight loss so far.

May 11th 2011 12st 4lbs
May 18th 2011 11st 13lbs
May 25th 2011 11st 12lbs


to be continued........

Slimming World Strawberry swiss roll

This yummy pud is only half a syn (those that do slimming world will not what this is!)

¾  tub of Quark cheese – (250g tub)

100g fat free fromage frais
4 Eggs
6 Tbsp of sweetener (splenda)
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence

1 tsp baking powder
6 (or however many you wish) Strawberry's sliced

Method

- Separate all Eggs

- With the yolks mix in half a tub of Quark, baking powder, Vanilla Essence & 4 tbsp of Sweetener

- In a seprarate bowl whisk the egg whites until thick and stiff.

- Slowly stir (fold) the yolk mix into the stiffly beaten egg whites.

- Spread out evenly on a non stick baking tray and bake at 180 degrees for 15-20mins

- Mix together 2 tbsp of sweetener with the fromage frais and remaining quark

- Spread on cake, add sliced strawberries & roll

So, So yummy!!!

Back carry!

We've achieved back carries!

It has taken a while to feel confident enough to sling Esme on my back. But I started with a BWCC (Back wrap cross carry) which went a bit wrong!

How not to do a BWCC

I should have crossed the wrap over Esme's body rather than tucking it to the side and under her bum.

So anyway a few days later, I thought we'd try again with a different type of carry and also a different method to get her on my back.
This time I used the "Santa toss" to get her on my back. This involves laying her in the middle of the wrap an creating a hammock. Then you basically sling baby over your shoulder. It sounds scary (and it was!) but it does get the baby nice and high. I should add that Paul was my spotter and I was kneeling in the middle of the bed!

The carry I tried to do this time was the Double Hammock (DH) or Chunei carry. I actually found this really supportive as there are a couple of layers under the baby's bottom. Most of the weight is carried on your chest rather than your shoulders which I found more comfortable. I found YouTube videos on how to do this very helpful.

first DH attempt

Unassisted!

The picture on the left is our first attempt!
I don't think I got Esme's knees high enough as her knees should be higher than her bottom. I also should have done the chest pass a little tighter.



Still practice makes perfect, so the next day we tried again (without Paul's assistance) and don't think we did too badly. Esme fell asleep within minutes and I carried on cooking supper!

Rear view shot

enjoying a snuggly Kangaroo carry

I'm going to keep practising the back carries at home, as I need to keep checking Esme's position in the mirror. For now. I'll stick to front carries when we go out as its also a good excuse for snuggle.

Washing day

There's something very satisfying about seeing all the nappies out in the sunshine!

Crunchy topped spiced Apple cake

Tastes better than it looks!

The nice man from Riverford delivered some more fruit and veg today so I had a lot of apples to use up.

3oz Butter/margarine
6oz Self Raising flour
2oz caster sugar
1 egg
5 tbsp Water
3 eating (dessert) apples peeled, cored and cut into thin wedges.
For the crunchy topping
3oz Brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 oz butter

Rub the butter into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the caster sugar and then mix in the egg and water to make a soft dough. Add a little more water if the mixture is too dry.
Spread into a 8" cake tin and press the apple slices into the dough.
Sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon and dot with the butter.
Bake at 180 for 30 mins until golden brown and firm to the touch.

As with all my favourite recipes.... enjoy with a good strong cup of tea!
.

My nappy stash

I've now organised the stash (unfortunately I'm in the process of a nappy wash so there will be more to add) so that my poor put upon husband can work out what's what.
Fitteds in two piles to the left and pockets on the right. The wraps and night time Bumbles are on a different shelf out of shot. Nappy addiction or OCD?

New nappies and wraps

Esme is growing out of some of her smaller cloth nappies and wraps (any excuse to feed my cloth nappy habit)

My Issy bears have arrived from Cheeks and Cherries and also 3 GEN-Y wraps from Fill Your Pants.

I'm not sure about the Issy Bears. I love the prints and attention to detail (the edging on the boosters and cute logo stitched in) but it was a bit of a faff to get the booster into the nappy. The pocket is quite narrow so a lot of wiggling was required.  There was also some wicking through with the cotton nappy, which hasn't happened before on any of Esme's other pocket nappies or the minky Issy Bear.  The nappy comes with two boosters, a day and a night, which are made of bamboo and microfibre. I'm hoping I'll see better results the more I use the Issy Bears as it will probably take a few more washes before they reach their full absorbency.

Issy Bear boosters

The nappy is a "one size fits most" with snaps to adjust the rise of the nappy. However, it did look quite large on Esme with her skinny legs. I'm looking forward to trying these again as Esme does look really cute in the ladybirds.

The GEN-Y classic covers are designed to provide a waterproof layer over flat, fitted and prefold nappies and come in wide variety of prints. The inner waterproof layer is PUL and the outer is made from either minky fabric or cotton jersey. The wrap has side snaps to fasten it, which means you can get a really good fit around the legs and waist. So far the performance of these has been good, but we've yet to use them during a preweaned poo explosion!

Thomas the Tank Engine & Chicken Pox

It seems like its been a while since I last posted. Things here have been a little hectic with Thomas recovering from his asthma attack, then it was Easter weekend and now chicken pox has struck.

On Good Friday we visited the Watercress Line for a day out with Thomas the tank engine. What a fantastic family day out! Our Thomas thoroughly enjoyed chugging up and down the line between Alresford and Alton on various steam and diesel trains. They also had little rides at each station on Thomas and Toad and lots of the other trains from the popular childrens' program.

Here comes Thomas

Riding on Diesel

Esme and big sister Fenella

Picnic

We spent Saturday visiting my family up in Bracknell for a picnic at South Hill Park, before heading over to Pizza Hut for my nephew's birthday bash.

Big Boy slide

When i woke Thomas up on Sunday the poor little mite was covered in spots and feeling very sorry for himself. Lots of mummy cuddles were required!

showing off the spots

Feeling poorly

I think we're over the worst of it, although I'm now on spot watch with Esme - so far she's been spot free!

Back to 3 eggs a day!

Evangeline has started laying!

size difference!

Her eggs are tiny compared to Deirdre's. Mabel has also started laying again after her egg strike through the winter. Her eggs are quite a weird shape at the moment, but hopefully they should go back to normal soon.

We've also fully integrated the girls now. There is still quite a bit of pecking going on and poor Evangeline does get bullied by the other two, but a few squirts of the water pistol puts an end to any squabbling!

Our weird and wonderful variety of eggs.

Asthma....

... is an ongoing issue in this household!
My dad and brother are both asthmatic and I was diagnosed with mild asthma last year. It looks as though Thomas is going the same way.

He had his first "episode" in early Dec 2009, just after his 1st birthday. He'd been ill all over his birthday with a bad a cold, and then a few days later he didn't want to eat or drink anything and was a bit wheezy. We ended up in hospital, where he was monitored on the paediatric ward. We were also given inhalers although at the time it was still being referred to as a "viral induced wheeze".

He is currently taking Beclometasone (brown inhaler) as a preventer: 4 puffs using a spacer morning and night, and Salbutamol (blue)  up to 10 puffs 4 hourly as and when he needs it as a reliever.

Paediatric ward Nov 2010

Since July 2010 Thomas has had another 6 episodes, 3 of which we've ended up in A&E, and then onto paediatrics for monitoring The other 3 episodes have all been in the last 3 weeks, which makes me wonder if there is something triggering it.


His latest "episode" started last Wednesday night. He had a dry sounding cough which woke us up several times in the night. By Thursday morning he had started wheezing so we gave him his blue inhaler to take. Things did improve a little, but by Thursday afternoon we were getting a bit concerned as the inhaler wasn't being as effective as it should be.
Paul managed to get an emergency appointment with our GP who put Thomas on a nebuliser. His breathing soon returned to normal.

We have now have a nebuliser on loan for Thomas to use over the next two weeks until he is clear of this episode. His breathing is OK most of the time, but he does get out of breath and wheezy if he has been doing a lot of running around. He is such a good boy with it and as long as he can watch Fireman Sam on the TV he is happy!

Nebuliser time

fast recovery!

We have an appointment at the asthma clinic in a couple of weeks time to review his medication. In the meantime I'm trying to source some local honey as a friend of mine suggested that it could help if his asthma is triggered by hay fever. Hopefully things will improve for our little chap soon.

skinny muffins?? Chocolate and Cranberry

Low fat muffins? really?
Well yes - these muffins don't have as much oil as most muffin recipes.
This recipe is from the http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/  I'm going to have a go at these for the bumps and babes group.

• 250g self-raising flour
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinammon
• 85g light muscovado sugar
• 85g dried cranberries
• 25g dark chocolate , chopped
• 125g tub low-fat yogurt
• 125ml skimmed milk
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 egg , lightly beaten

oven at 180.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl. Stir in the sugar and cranberries. Microwave the chocolate on Medium for 1-1½ mins, stir, then set aside.

Mix the yogurt and milk with the oil and egg. Make a well in centre of the dry mix and gently stir in the liquid. Drizzle half the chocolate over the mix, gently fold in until swirled, then repeat with the remaining chocolate. Take care not to over-mix.

Spoon the mix into the muffin cases and bake for 15-20 mins until risen and firm to the touch.

Eggs-traordinary!

Found a two-tone egg in the nesting box this morning!



what a weekend!

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been looking forward to today. It's the first Sunday in months where we've not had anything on...bliss!

Taking it easy

Stanley Cat enjoying the sunshine

Today is also the day after the concert.
I play the oboe in the City of Southampton Orchestra and last night we played at Southampton Guildhall.  We played....

Portsmouth Point - Walton
The Sea - Bridge
Symphonie Fantastique - Berlioz

...... a challenging programme,  technically, mentally and physically!

So today is all about family time and relaxing, and where better to do that than in the garden in the sunshine. We're all just pottering about doing little jobs. The nappies are in the washing machine about to be hung on the line. Paul is doing some bike maintenance on his "road" bike with Thomas' help. He's planning on getting a good ride in this afternoon, maybe 25 miles.

pumping up tyres

Bike Maintenance

Paul has also promised Thomas that he'll take him out on the mountain bike later. Thomas LOVES going out on the back of Paul's bike.

SLIDE!

Esme and I are going to take it easy today. My mum came to look after her and Thomas yesterday while I was rehearsing for the concert. Esme was a bit of a pickle. She bluntly refused to take any of the milk I'd spent the week expressing for her, so subsequently spent all night feeding. At least I didn't have to keep getting out of bed to her as we co-sleep.   

Thomas is now playing cars in the flowerbeds and Esme is asleep in the sling, so I'm going to settle down with a good book and a cup of tea in the garden.......aah!

Esme and Grandad Jurd

Friday Fun in the Sun

What a glorious day again!
The washing was out on the line by 8.30am and the back door has been left open so that Thomas can thunder in and out as he chooses.

I love Fridays. Paul has most Fridays off so we get to spend "family" time together. He's already been out to cut the grass so we can spend the rest of the day in the garden out in the sunshine.



Bear Bear is ready for the sunshine.


Thomas is also having a good day...so far (it's still only 10am) He's had two weetabix, has read some books and played "picnics" with his favourite teddy, the not very imaginatively named Bear Bear.

We've also been playing races up and down the driveway, which seems to be his favourite game at the moment.


nose kisses with Bear Bear





Thomas can't quite work out how put his shades on!



Almost got it right!





Ready....steady....



.........GO!



While mooching around the garden we also spotted that one of our chooks has laid an egg in the flowerbed while free-ranging. I thought it was a bit strange that there were no eggs yesterday. I'm going to have to keep an eye on that!



That's not the nesting box!





Tulips in the sunshine