Busy few days.

Haven't post anything for a few days but have lots of photos to add to show you what I have been up to!

Have finally finished my lovely, warm scarf! It is doubled over in the picture which is how I have worn it. It is so soft and warm! I am really pleased with it and may use the pattern for a couple of Christmas presents.

Spent a lovely weekend in Surrey and Brighton with Daisy, Helen & Evelyn. We visited the Laines and managed to do a little bit of girly shopping. Also found a Montezuma chocolate shop - heaven! Their white chocolate buttons are to die for and are definitely NOT for sharing! Also managed to catch up with a few old friends. Amazing how time can fly by so quickly. It was very cold but sunny and I was glad of my new scarf.

We ate a wonderful lunch then finished it off with ice cream on the pier. Did I mention it was cold? Never too cold for ice cream at the seaside though!

Whilst we were away, Mark and the boys looked after the chickens. All six of them are in this pic but some are too busy eating to pose. Millie (the black one), Rosie, Betty, Mavis, Hilda & Mollie. They are such good hens that give us the most delicious eggs. Even during the worst of the weather they were still laying.

I need to do some baking now to use up all the eggs that have appeared whilst I was away. I have a lovely recipe for an orange & almond cake that is wheat free and uses 9 eggs so I think that will be a good place to start.

                                              Daisy, Grace and Agatha

The children had some friends around and they made this gingerbread house left over from a kit at Christmas. The girls had such fun making and decorating it and the boys had great fun breaking it up to eat it!

Pancake Day!

Very few things rekindle happy childhood memories, but my Mum made a mean pancake! Topped with Tate & Lyles Golden Syrup, I could eat them faster than she could make them. Hers with so thin, golden and always a perfect circle - my mouth is watering just writing about them..... Anyhow, I have children of my own and so after dinner we got down to the serious business of pancake making! We had to have two types, as Alfie can't tolerate wheat, so he had a buckwheat mixture and the rest of us had traditional. I say the rest of us, what I mean is that James had one, Mark had two, little Daisy made her way through THREE! and I..........I had half a pancake as that was all the mixture I had left! It is true I could have had some of Afie's buckwheat mixture but I'd already promised the little people that they could have it for breakfast tomorrow - liberally smothered in chocolate spread. The half pancake I did get was very nice though and a squeeze of Golden Syrup made me feel about 8 again...

I have added these pictures of the house and garden as work has finally started on the new drive. With a bit of luck, most of the work will be done this week with a little bit of landscaping to be done the following week. You can just see the dumper truck that has been taking several tons of our garden to a new home! The boys are desperate for a chance to sit on and the mini digger. I am just desperate for the work to be finished! Am hoping for some exciting news about the sale of the land tomorrow.....

Thunderbirds

Have not had much time for writing over the last couple of weeks. The tail end of a bout of pluerisy is keeping me fairly tired as is the huge amount of sorting and clearing that needs to be done. The decorator is due to finish today so the inside of the house is ready for the estate agent photos. Just need to get the outside landscaping done now, but as I said in an earlier post, easier said than done!

It is a strange thing to watch the house change colour. We have got quite bright colours, or rather did have until the obliterator paint, also know as magnolia, was liberally applied to most of the walls in the house. The only rooms to escape are the living room, dining room & bathroom. Oh, and the cellar, but thats another blog altogether! The house does look clean and bright though I have to say that I am missing the Tweenies and Postman Pat that have lived on James' wall for the last 5 years and the Thunderbirds men and machines who have provided company at night for Alfie for the same length of time. There are so many memories of this house and most of them happy ones. It will be sad to leave.

This photograph of Alfie reminds me of Mark painting the Thunderbirds machines and men on his bedroom wall. It was taken for his 5th birthday when he was obsessed with Thunderbirds. To be honest, he still loves them now, as do Mark & James. Me, I'm more of a Jane Austen girl and Daisy loves Hannah Montannah!

FIxing a date

Have now confirmed a date in March to come back to Alston and have another good look around. We will be viewing some houses and bringing the children to visit the school. Hopefully we will have our house on the market by then if we ever get a response from the builders who came out to give us quotes! I don't understand how these things can take so long - I thought we were in a recession!

Told Mum of our plans today and she was a little upset but on the whole very supportive which was nice. I expected her to go all quiet and sulky but she was very good and I am relieved.

Thought I might finish my scarf today but have measured it and I need to add at least another 3 balls of wall to it to make it long enough. Have luckily found a website that can supply it,

www.englishyarns.co.uk so I should have it finished soon, at least in time for next winter!!!

Photograh

Have managed to add a photograph to the title bar. It is a lovely one taken over Christmas and New Year looking down towards the river from the Leadgate road. It was so beautiful and white everywhere, and oh so peaceful. It seems ages ago now but I am busy trying to organise another trip back to Alston to look at houses and to show the children the school. They are used to being in a small village school so it will not be such a shock for them. Good news from the estate agent today regarding valuations so just have to keep pushing forward and get the deed done. Planning to be on the market for early March so fingers crossed.

Have nearly finished my lovely cable patterned scarf. I am very proud of it as I haven't knitted anything since the children were really small and I made the pattern up myself. Will post a pic when I am done.

Success!

In the quest to learn something new every day, today's lesson has been uploading a photo onto a blog! This is Alfies' very stylish stripy car that he made from an Airfix kit that he got for Christmas. He had lots of fun making it and is justly proud.

Elsewhere in the family, Mark has been ill, Daisy has a high temperature and I have pluerisy again. Oh what fun. I just hope the boys stay well.

Had more builders round to arrange a quote for the work that needs to be done before we can sell. Every day is just a little step closer. We have another estate agent coming round tomorrow too. Trying really hard to be sensible and get at least two opinions or quotes on everything we are doing. Just waiting for the bed we put on Freecycle to be collected! We are s l o w l y getting sorted out!

Lazy Sunday?!

Well, it was meant to be a lazyish Sunday....I had planned to sort Alfies' room out and lose one of the beds from the bunk bed set but that was all. In the end, we have sorted Alfie's room, Daisy's room, our room AND the bathroom! Can't believe we managed to do so much as Mark is feeling really under the weather and was not in the mood to have a major clear out. I keep thinking that if we can achieve something in the house every day, it will make moving to Alston one step closer.

Have written to all the local schools and nurseries in the town to see if they will support a combined Mufti day in aid of the Haiti appeal. I really hope they all do as it will be a nice gift from the town if all the schools are involved. Even if only a little money is raised - it will help a lot of people.

Was going to try and add a photo today. Mark has been making Airfix models with the boys that they got from their Aunts for Christmas. Alfies' is finished and he took a great photo of it. Will have a go at adding it later as he will be thrilled to see his car on here!