What a difference..

.. a week makes..today I can report a much less pleasing weekend.. though not a complete disaster, just no way as fab as last week!  The world here is grey today, so humid it turned to drizzle and now rain.. at least the boys have the prospect of Jenson Button winning the GP to keep them excited.

As for me, I got up feeling a little low so not wanting to lose the day to the doldrums I set to work using up all the odds and ends of food we have in the cupboard.. hence the Domestic Goddess in me was reborn.. between 11 and 1.30 I turned out Banana Loaf, Apple Crumble, Pizzas, Curried Cauliflower Soup and currently a work in progress.. Marinated Mackeral... yes, just like 'Mommy use to Bake'  And if I'm lucky everyone will be happy with 'Easy Tea' this evening.. who knows I may get a film in or some scrapbooking!

Col and his Dad went fishing yesterday, an early start at 8am and then through til about 4pm. They caught a good few mackeral and some fantastic cod.. here's the pic to prove it!...

Didn't he do well!

I spent yesterday morning with Kate at a kind of model casting session for a range of make-up ; it was a bit disorganised, which always makes you feel a little better for some reason.. better that than to be on the back foot I always think! They told the girls not to overdo thier hair, so they all turned up with kind of 'just out of bed' heads, not preened and also with no make up as requested.  Trouble is they did the make up for photos and just left the hair, I think the girls will generally be a bit disappointed when they get some new pics but with yesterday's hair! Oh well, everyone was very nice and it was an insight of sorts into how things can be.. locally anyway!

Jordan, Zac & Ross all worked the morning, it was very odd to be 'home alone', in fact I always have a plan of things to do when I 'have the time', but then a couple of coffees and a bit of Tv later, I'm running late again!  JB met Col off the beach at Porthcurno and this is one of the pics they took of Pops, holding anchor in the boat..look at those beaches!

Grand Days Out!

Well when the guys in our office ask what I did this weekend I shouldn't have any trouble remembering.. it's been fab. I fitted so much in and have seen lots of lovely people too.  Getting up at 7am certainly gives you lots of scope, not sure I can do it every weekend, but fine weather and a plan certainly got me going yesterday!

JB worked for a few hours out west Saturday and I collected her from the Minack.  We bought our new annual tickets and made a pact to go there for lunch a lot more.. the bay was 'Harry flatters' and Treryn Castle had hardly a wave breaking.  A new drama company had just arrived for rehearsals and JB did this nice little pic with a warmify eefect courtesy of her sunglasses!

We had some good times planned..and I was like a pig in smelly stuff.  Next stop St Levan church, flowers for M&D, a little sit in the sun and a quiet reflection on the personalities and family we remembered there.

Next stop Penberth, I was armed with some old photos which I wanted to place in the current location ala http://www.dearphotograph.com/ .. it wasn't quite as easy as I'd hoped because you have to try and have something in the background you can line up with the old photo.

We played with a few and Jordan said she could also play with the options in photoshop, so we'll see what comes up.  On the way down cove we met some cousins and old friends, stopped to chat (JB patient as ever.. dozing in the warmth of the car!).. it was so cool, we talked about how fantastic the first paddle or the first trip out in the boat for the year is a real moment, you feel renewed, replenished..  I wanted to try the photo thing outside Favell's house, especially as one of the children in the photo was also there, but was persuaded to wait til Favell has a new wooden gate.. just like in the picture.

We also said how cool it would be to have a communal sharing of the old photos we all have.. hoping that night happen..

...and the tide was just right, nice enough to paddle, just wish I'd taken along my old photo of Ross having his first paddle in front of Will Tom's rock.. but instead JB took some of me..

And true to my scrapbooking I came back home and bought myself this lovely pebble stamp I'd seen on e-bay... I think I'll have lots of photos where it will make a great background..

Today me and my three girls and the babe went on Lisa's birthday shopping trip to Plymouth.. everyone came home with several bags of swag , Lyla was brilliant, loved being carried around by Auntie Kate and her pram was definitely better than any shopping trolley!

.. so, now to watch some TV and say hi to the week..

Ahhh, cute!

Couldn't resist taking this picture of my biggun and the baby this morning just after 8am!  Kate was just heading out the door, to trudge to the school bus-stop, (her pet hate.. school / school bus/ anything to do with school) when Ross asked her why she was going so soon, didn't she want a lift at 8.30?

This is the resultant cuddle.. if it had happened before he offered then it would have been a definite example of what mum would have called 'cupboard love'!

Funny the little phrases we get used to... my hairdresser and I were talking about old films and I mentioned that Fatal Attraction has been on quite a bit lately...we wondered whether the term 'bunny boiler' would still be used by our kids..or will it die out with the generation who grew up with the film?

Just wondering..as I do!

From a different perspective?

I'm not sure I'll get chance to play photographer again this week, so this little one snuck into the challenge.. I took it the other week at the Seal Sanctuary.

Karen's offerings are here : http://memycameraeye.blogspot.com/

If this is the view us grown-ups get, I wonder if the kids could take pictures how they'd see the world... generally looking 'up'..

And then I found out.. great that digital camera's allow kids to play photographer without worrying about the wasted film!

Special days..

.. like birthdays seem to be around every corner with a family our size, but this week Ross and Lisa have celebrated and now our Lilly is 3 years old today.  (I think this is the point where I remember my brother and then our pal will in the US .. and .. and ..!)



Happy Birthday Honey!
(.....I'm not Honey, I'm Lilly!)

 Kate had a school trip to Alton Towers yesterday, a 24 hour trip out, so as we were going to be out late fetching her.. good excuse to have a pizza and go see a film.. 'Bridesmaids'.. can recommend it, a not too gooey, proper film for girls.. and boys. It's just funny!  And I managed to shop on the way back, treading water til we met Kate, and it was great to miss the crowds.. though the shelf stackers didn't make the journey too easy.

Today is on hold as the mizzle has descended and it's kind of a grey day...but maybe a nice excuse to take a day off gently.. a little tidying and a few chores, but by evening we should have ticked the boxes!

Jordan's keen to bake a cake and as Lilly has lots of goodies I can see Zac's going to enjoy a 'welcome Back from your Holiday' cake.. he likes cake, any cake!

And there we were..



Not our Boat!

We set off from the Mount harbour in brilliant sunshine, almost like summer!  Set off across Mount's Bay with Jb at the helm, it was lovely to get out and have a change from the norm...

.. not much fish about and not much desire from me and Jb to do anything but close our eyes and enjoy the sunshine and the sea air.

I often get teased about 'the Nostalgia Tour' I take friends and family on where I used to live, and today we did it from the sea, calling close in to Lamorna and Penberth and along the coast, somehow even Colin was happy to play along, maybe because he didn't need to wish he had a seat and a book while I met someone I knew! 

I cannot go there without thinking that nothing there has changed since I was a child, or my Dad, or his Dad, was a child. Yes. maybe the little fields around the corner are no longer nicely tended, maybe there's a life ring or two around, but the age-old granite outcrops will stay firm and outlive us all. (and the Geology 'A' level girl in me loves those granite cliffs for all kinds of reasons.. how did they cool so slowly so deep under the ground, how did the crack as they cooled, yet still hold together over many centuries?

Karen set a challenge to take some pictures from a different perspective and I got some lovely shots of Penberth from the sea, not your usual view of the capstan or the house by the sea. I know they're not that different a perspective but.. I tried, and will continue to do so.. til Sunday.

It's just great to see it from another angle...

.. and as a complete change from the natural world, Kate is off to Alton Towers tomorrow for the day (a long one at that!) with school.

Summer?

Stand by your beds.. it looks like summer is today this year! The tide's high around tea time and we're going to grab the chance to get out this afternoon.

Can't wait to feel the cold water on my feet and the chill in the air and the spray soaking us as we fight our way back in......no, seriously it's not always exactly what I want to do, but when I've been out I am almost spiritually replenished..watch this spot.. camera is packed!

Oh and when browsing for a pic I found this one ages ago on some website connected to Penberth.. the guy leaning over the boat is Michael Batten and the tall guy is my brother, about 1972 I reckon..

Sunday weekly!

It's getting a bit that way, only managing to settle to some blogging on a Sunday, but hey, better than a blogless fortnight or more like before when I've needed the 'Karen-prod'

It's been a hectic week, we put off a trip to meet friends in Amsterdam as we are so behind at work and what with other family doing their own thing it was going to be a small logistical moment to organise and relax enough to make the time really enjoyable.

Also.. Ross turned 25 on Friday! Half my life and all of his.. I told him that so far he'd just been practicing and now he could go enjoy all he's learnt.

I think he liked that and it's true really, you don't even realise you're alive 'til you hit the teens and then you make all the mistakes 'til your twenties!  He's loving surf coaching and the summer will kick in now and keep him busy for several months.

Some of his best pals came over for a barbecue and he and Colin did a great job prepping the vans / field / barbecue and it all went smoothly. (Lilly was centre of her world as ever and took a liking to Ross' mate, always fun to watch her dictating the odds and the guy in question toeing the line.. amazing talent at three, it will be interesting to see her at twenty three!!)

It's quite an odd feeling thinking I've been a mum for half my life. but those times when you wonder what you've actually been doing and you look at the family and think to yourself.. yeah, I ticked the box!

Meanwhile, Zac and Lucy are sunning it up in Ibiza and we're waiting to hear all his stories when he gets back next weekend..

.. we tried to get a trip out in the boat today but weather stopped play, it was just too grey and sloppy looking to make it worth the effort. So we retired back home and enjoyed the British GP from Silverstone..always fun as being an old airfield it's often wet one side and sunny the other.. makes for interesting tactics! Just glad we weren't there camping.. or anywhere camping to be honest.. why would anyone do that when en-suite is an option???


As usual for the last few weekends I've had a grim headache this afternoon.. been analysing it and usually need a sleep to clear it, but today I tried a cup of coffee and a hot bath and it worked.. as I thought..it's caffeine withdrawl! By lunch in the week I'd generally put away about six cups of tea or coffee, weekends are different.. don't want to give the coffee up though..mmmmm.... go to intravenous maybe?!

Super Sunday..

.. weather and those seals and sea lions at Gweek are amazing underwater..

'Not the Same'

Then it was time for a little speed scrapping.. more of UB's photos but unusually I noticed a batch of photos of me and Jordan, usually she's taking the photos....we had a day to 'the wester'd' back in December 2009 when UB and his lady came to visit.. Sennen and the Minack.. I love the photo of us shopping., you don't usually take photos in the shop do you.. oh but Uncle Bill did!



And I'm getting to grips with Jordan's old camera, hence the better photos.. this one in macro, (Ooooh, listen to me!).. showing off the combination of Prima flowers, a clothes tag Not The Same', a birthday card and some Betty Boop calendar elements.. true scrapping as Lisa would say!

It was lovely to scrap an ordinary day, not a big event, makes you realise how many days and comfortable moments we'd not remember so well, if it wasn't for the photos.. and now the scrapbooking!  And JB and I certainly have some very comfy moments.. especially shopping!

Worth the effort...

.. of the anticipation and the thinking about.. a great day yesterday at Newlyn, a small compliment on the Just Scrapbooking team but it seems to be the way of things in the summer. 

As planned I took some of  Uncle Bill's photos of the Mount and Newlyn, with copies printed in soft focus on watercolour paper.. the texture and colours were lovely and then when I used the 'technique of the day', grunging the two photos into the background it came into it's own. I loved the seashell stencils and once again it set me off browsing e-bay for bits and pieces today too!

It was nice too to use some of the little extras I've been hoarding for ages, fishing rub-ons and little pewter seahorses...needless to say I've come home with a pot of texture paste to play with, and Linda tells me it works if you mix with acrylic paint.. messy play coming up!

Anticipation is the key.

.. the key ingredient to most of my good and bad emotions.. I've decided! 

Generally I really love the waiting for and looking forward to a big event.. whether it's Christmas , a birthday or something to go to, like a holiday or Grand Prix or something, I can get completely absorbed in the detail and learning about 'the thing', working towards making it a great moment... hopefully with some nice scrapable pictures thrown in!
And generally the anticipation is more enjoyable than the event itself, which generally throws up some mundane-ness or another I had completely overlooked.. the dishes to tidy / the travelling or the deflated feeling when 'the' present wasn't quite the dog's whatsits you were hoping for!

Other events fill me with dread, telling someone something they don't want to hear, hearing something I don't want to hear but knowing it's coming, going to the dentist, taking someone else to the dentist (even!) or just the approach of a moment in your life you know you have to face....the stress of it makes me ill, but the other day I realised and remarked that in actual fact I'd rather have a worry day and feel the stress than a nothing day and feel nothing...

... well, tonight's been a nice anticpation moment. It's Scrapbooking tomorrow and I've been putting a bit of thought into what pictures I may use and what my layouts might say....'Oh! Only scrapbooking!' I hear you cry, but the whole process, the thinking, the picking out the pictures, the printing of them, in several sizes and formats, all adds up to make the actual few hours there, doing it, all the better.  And spending the time with some other people enjoying the same moments is great in itself.

Linda set us a challenge in June using words and pictures of a video 'Dream Big'' and I've pondered it long and hard.. yes, into July!! But I have found a couple of photos from my archive and I should be able to do something nice with them...

As for the rest of the week, it's been okay.. Zac finished his 'A' levels and Kate had two days home with teacher's strike and a training day.. she'll enjoyanother nice long weekend.. just to keep in touch with long weekends as they have at least another 3 weeks til summer holiday!
Col's working on the boat, should be in the water by the end of the weekend..and the weatherman promises sunshine this weekend (for a day indoors scrapbooking.. and a day out and about with my big girls and her two little 'uns!)

oh and for good measure, yet again I'm going to scrap some of chief photographer Uncle Bill's pics from his last trip here.. he should live in my pocket, such a great eye for a photo!

Here's one ..