road trip

I'm at my Mum's parents' house with my sisters because we're on our way to take HP back to university. I was only working this morning, so I was able to go home to London for lunch, and then help pack up the car and set off to get here in time for tea. (Well, helping to make tea and then eat it.) We've had a lovely evening of silliness and watching television. Now we're all off to bed.

It's Thursday already

and this is only the first post of the week. That's what happens when you have to go back to work I guess! Although this is written at work - I love assembely time because you get to have a short break from the kids (especially important on those days that it's wet play and you get stuck in the classroom all morning with no escape to the staff room). It's a good chance to check email too.

I've got a busy day today, I'm at school all morning and then I'm doing some tutoring stuff this afternoon - not finishing till 6. That's because SATS are coming up and the girl I'm seeing 5-6 wanted some extra sessions this week and next.

Right, better stop there or they'll be coming back and it won't have saved properly!

The woooooo park

After the country park we went to a park near my Grandparents house. 'We' being all of the cousins - HP, Bekki & I and E, K & B. This park has been knicknamed by us as the woooooo park. This is because of the fantasatic twirling things that they have. I'm not going to write any more because I think the pictures speak for themselves. (Hopefully Bekki will still talk to me after she sees I put these photos on the internet!)

Good Friday

We went to visit my Dad's parents yesterday, and also got to see my three cousins who are staying with Grandma and Grandad for a few days. We had a lovely drive up, picking up Bekki from Cambridge on the way, and just about making it in time for lunch. It was yummy roast beef, with roast potatoes (which they somehow make to be the best you've ever tasted, every time) and lots of vegetables, and followed by cheesecake. I know I don't normally tell you everythig we ate, but this time it was worth telling.

After lunch Grandma stayed at home, but the rest of us when down the the country park, and walked round the lake. When Daddy has the camera you tend to end up with lots of photos of everyone from the back (intentionally rather that by mistake), and these are some of the best from yesterday's walk. In case you can't tell, I'm the one with the purple top on (or tied round my waist in some of the pictures).
When we left London in the morning there was that horrid heavy drizzle rain that gets you wet quicker than you'd expect. Assuming that the

weather wouldn't be very nice for most of the day we'd packed umbrellas and rain coats, so it was a lovely surprise to be able to walk around without needing to wear our coats all the time.

giggle giggle, and bake a chocolate cake

This is me with my short hair. As previously explained, we've had a few problems with the camera, but these are hopefully sorted out now, and I can finally upload a picture of the new hair.

Today has been a fun day, full of giggles and chocolate cake (which we don't get to eat till tomorrow). Joy came over (she's my really old friend, but for a long time, rather than her age being big). HP says that sentence made no sense, but I don't care. We also managed to scare HP's boyfriend, and if he's reading this I just want to apologise again. We really didn't want to freak you out that much, or actually at all.

Right, I have to take Joy home now. Back again soon.
We're visiting Grandparents tomorrow, and we get to see Bekki. Hurrah!

ps click on the one where they're hiding behind the cushions and you get to see HP's eye. This is Joy with HP BTW.

Camera

We discovered why the camera didn't seem to be charging properly - My Dad had switched it off at the plug! Now that it's turned back on again I ought to be able to take some photos again soon. In the meantime we'll have to make do with more photos from Monday. Oh, and this is the electricity pylon as it looked when we came out of Sainsburys.

I got my hair cut today - the first time I've had it cut since the last Easter holiday! Brian, my hairdresser, said it beautifully illustrated the fact that hair grows about an inch every two months. HP says it bears resemblance to Jonny Depp as seen in 'Charlie and the Chocolate factory', to which I replied that he must have a girly hair cut then (I haven't actually seen the film, although I have seen the trailers). It's basically a short bob, but without a fringe (which was what I had before I grew it out during the past year). Anyway, I will try to put a photo on for comparison purposes once the camera is once more functioning as it ought.

Today

S-P wasn't able to make it today after all, so instead I went to visit S in her flat. That was South of the river, which feels like you're in a different country. I survived it though, and it was good to finally get to see her flat.

We had a lovely afternoon chatting and catching up (we haven't seen each other since, hmmm, possibly half term? Or maybe even Christmas). Then we decided to go out for a meal for dinner. We went to Zizi's and I had a scrummy pizza called Sofia, which I would recommend to anyone who likes the taste of Rosemary (as it was quite strong)

For some reason the camera didn't want to work, although it seems ok now, so I've given you a photo I took yesterday instead. I like it anyway!

Supermarket shopping and taking photos - what a great day

These are just a few of my favourite photos - HP and I had a little competition going on which was 'Who can take the best supermarket photos' (well, she's got to keep experimenting with her new camera, and I've got to try to keep my blog looking bright).

Tomorrow I'm meeting up with two friends from University. We all live in London, but in the North, South and East. So we don't get to meet up as much as we would like. We're going to meet for lunch near where S-P lives.

Why is it always so tricky to get photos lined up how you want them to in a post?!

I'm also hopefully going to be able to catch up with J who's a really old friend (as in I've known her a long time, rather than being 102 or something). In fact, we first met when we were 7. She's at uni in York and I'm living in Cambridge a lot of the time, so when we are both in London we try to meet up.


I hope this photo doesn't freak anyone out too much. I don't actually eat fish, so not really sure why I took it. Probably because it's a bit odd. Actually I don't like Colman's mustard either. I just took that because it was yellow.

I'll try to remember to take my camera (meaning my Dad's camera, before anyone comments on that) tomorrow.

My weekend in pictures - final round up

In the sitting room: 10.30pm


I am typing while HP takes my photo. It's really weird. I'm trying to concentrate but it's odd when there are things flashing in your eyes. Here's one of the finishes articles. I don't really like it, but HP is off to bed, and it does at least show me typing on my blog.

I was planning to make this really interesting for my final round up of the weekend, but I've got a bit tired. I was distracted by reading some other people's blogs. Oh well, better make this quick. Thank you to my Daddy who has lent me his camera for the weekend, and also to him and the rest of the family for putting up with me saying 'stop a minute, I want to take a photo of that'. It's been really fun, and I want to do something like this again, although not too soon, so don't start worrying! It'll be fun to look back on this after a couple of weeks and see all the little random stuff I did this weekend, as well as the usual memories of the 'bigger' events.

Well how should I end this weekend of blogging? Why by looking to tomorrow of course: It looksl like we'll we having rain in the night, followed, more than likely, by rain tomorrow.


I took these as an experiment to see if I could photograph the television, and they're so funny I just had to put them on. When a facial expression is captured for a split second it can certainly have funny results. They're worth clicking on to get the larger versions. I hope you've all had a good weekend.

ps sorry for any typos on this post. I'm sure my editors (HP and my Mum) will draw them to my attention in the near future

My weekend in pictures 12

Dining room: 5pm

I played scrabble with my Mum and Dad. My Mum won (as she always does), but I came second so that's not too bad! It was fun though, and that's the main thing.

While we played we were listening to (as it was behind us and we couldn't really see it properly) 'Songs of Praise' on the telly. It was the Songs of Praise school choir of the year competition final. After we finished our game 'As time goes by' came on, so we all four sat and watched. It's a programme that can actually make us all laugh at the same time! Then I had some tea and wrote a bit more here on my blog. We plan to watch 'Mayo' at 8pm so I'm off now.

My weekend in pictures 11

HP's bedroom: 4.30pm

This afternoon HP finally got round to getting out the digital camera that she was given for her birthday in January. The photos below are some we took while experimenting to see what it can do. Yes, those are actually pictures of me for a change (well 2 out of 3 isn't bad. And I'm actually wearing my glasses in one of them. The middle one is of course none other than HP herself. Thought I'd leave it sideways because it amused me :-) ) Oh and these 3 were taken in our Bekki's bedroom\the room that might one day be reclaimed as a sitting room (We turned the downstairs front room into a bedroom for Bekki several years ago, but now she's moved up to Cambridge it's in a bit of a transitional period.)

My weekend in pictures 10

Kitchen: After lunch

HP washed up after lunch and I was doing some drying up, but she was a little slow, so I went between the kitchen and the computer, which was also being slow (loading the photos up seems to take quite a while, but that could be to do with trying to put as many in as possible.)

We had yummy lunch, but I'm trying to cut down on the more boring details of the day. (So I'm not gonna start saying things like 'I put a jumper on because it was cold, and then got hot so took it off again...' (Oops, I just did))

My weekend in pictures 9

After church, drinking tea and coffee in the Premier Bar: 12.15 pm
(Not that I drink either tea or coffee. This is the room in the cinema that they let us use for refreshments after the meeting. We also have some mid-week meetings in here.)






These are just some people I bribed to let me put their photos on my blog (so yes, HP features quite a lot. Maybe these posts should have been titled HP's weekend in pictures)
Also, if you click on HP's close up you'll get a big version of the photo which may show you that she has a face drawn on her nose. It's probably best not to ask why.

My weekend in pictures 8

Outside the front door: 9.05am
(I note the number of minutes past nine as this is somewhat of a record for us. We always try to aim to leave at nine, but things always seem to make it later!)

This is HP and my Dad just leaving the house on our way to church this morning. I felt a bit like I was a member of the paparazzi as I lent over the wall to try to take a photo, which included HP's beautifully bright pink boots, while she was walking down the path.

Our church meets in Enfield Cineworld, which was a little bizarre the first time we were in there, but now just feels normal. It's also quite a good talking point!






Today we met in screen 9.

My weekend in pictures (Saturday round-up)

Assorted pictures from today.






These are to show that I did go outside today, even if only in our garden (I was too busy baking!). Also some of the vast amouts of washing we were able to get done today because it was such beautiful weather. The pretty flowers (mind gone blank and can't remember what they are called) are also in our garden.






This is HP working on a puzzle and then the finished article, in all its glory, once she had finished. What this photo doesn't show very well is that the lion is made from lots of little pictures of other animals from lion territory, like giraffes and zebras. (think that makes sense!)

Anyway, I am off to bed. Not sure how many pictures there'll be for tomorrow, we'll just have to wait and see. Hope I haven't bored anyone too much - Just thought it would make a change to have multiple postings as opposed to none for days!

I wanted to include the picture I took of the sausage rolls we ate for lunch, but I can't get it to position correctly in this post, and I'm too tired to fiddle with it anymore. Goodnight :-)

My weekend in pictures 7

Dining room: 8pm-9.30pm







Mummy and Daddy were getting stuck on the jumbo crossword.
HP was reading a bit of the paper (yes that is a flying pig on the wall behind her)
HP and I were ready to head off to bed (except I had to put this on my blog first)

My weekend in pictures 6

Dining room: 7.30pm







This is me, taken (by me) just before dinner when I was hungry and trying to find things to do while we waited for the quiche to finish cooking (It's really not a good picture, and maybe one day I'll remember to take a photo like this while actually wearing my glasses). Also, the quiche after we had eaten most of it! (We were too hungry to wait for a photo before we cut into it). Finally, my Mum's hand as she ticks off a clue she'd just got in the quick crossword. Now we're about to eat the apple and blackberry crumble, so I'm off...

My weekend in pictures 5

In the Kitchen:5.45pm-6.20pm








These photos show the second half of making the hot cross buns. When they'd risen I piped crosses on them, and then we cooked them for about 25 minutes. When they came out of the oven I glazed them with a sugar syrup, and that was it. I'm sure my Dad looks forward to eating them.

(This is my 50th post. Hurrah!)

My weekend in pictures 4

Back in the kitchen: 5pm








This has been quite a day for baking (and drying washing, but for the moment I'm talking about baking). HP and I made Easter nests, my Mum has made\is in the process of making a blackberrry and apple crumble, quiche, a large mince pie and some jam tarts.

These pictures however are of the hot cross buns that she and I were\are making for my Dad (they are currently sitting in a warm place rising). He is a coeliac which means he can't eat anything with gluten in. He gets speacial flour on prescription and we make bread and cakes for him. He was diagnosed when I was quite young, so it just seems quite natural to make things from scratch so that Daddy can eat them, rather than buying things ready-made. Lots of people now seem to be 'wheat-free' in what they eat, but my Daddy is one of the originals!

I feel quite lucky because cooking just seems to come quite naturally to me since I've done so much over the years. It makes me laugh when I meet people who say they don't have a clue about how to cook. (Not that I'm laughing at them, just that it seems so easy to me).

My weekend in pictures 3

In the kitchen: 3.30pm






Last year we remembered how it was so fun to make Easter nests in cooking at primary school, and we decided to make some. So of course we had to make some more this year. We stopped off at Sainsburys on Friday on our way home from GC, and this afternoon we made them. They're just shredded wheat, melted chocolate and mini eggs on the top. They're now sitting in the fridge to set. They're great fun and really easy too. (And you get to eat the left over mini eggs while you wait for the nests to set.)