Winter Views : favourite clothes

Well I live and die in thick black leggings in the winter, I really didn't want it to happen as it is a very comfy but not always flattering option (Cue sketches of Little Britain's nobut-yesbut character whose name eludes me..)

..so the golden rule is to cover the rear and always wear them leggings as if they are thick tights..ala tunic dress or long jumper ..plus Boots! I Love Boots .. I think I have three pairs but would love 7 or 8 pairs really!   I go straight from boots to flipflops in the spring summer with barely a nod to sandals or proper shoes..generally as they involve getting legs out and the tanning / prep is just too high maintenance!  Why does your skin in odd parts of your body give your age away so badly!

Today I have the ubiquitous black basics but avoided red for once ..detouring to a dark purple cardi which I prefer to a coat whenever possible .. and a lovely scarf in a crazy scribbley type yarn which Lilley chose for my birthday ..Lisa and I both thought it was odd when she chose it but I wore it and love it so much I got a Red one too!

So that's me..winter theme reads 'black and boots!'

Winter View : Family & Friends

Well I can't believe I haven't posted this picture before.  I am lacking an inspirational picture for this entry so was scanning back over my phone pics ...isn't it amazing how phone cameras are so good now we can blog with them. .though I really should get myself a nice camera one day when I get back to going photo taking for photo taking sake ..

..so in my scanning I found pirate pics galore and odd snaps of the baby girls but nothing to fit the bill...

..then I found our Christmas dinner photo..not quite a huge gathering of the clan but a nice meal and a good atmosphere...surely to be repeated when Zac comes home..(Jordan has even made us another Christmas cake!)

...Yep! My winter family and friends. .We usually do end up around a dinner table don't we..I think I am one of those people they call a feeder hahaha.  My mum was  bit like that, never far from the kettle or a mealtime and happiest being around people eating her meals...kind of sad too to recall that once she got that she did not have the people around to feed, or when she was unable to cook so well..that she kind of lost her role..you always see things a lot clearer way after the event don't you?

But hey..what goes around ones around..how proud would she be knowing Jordan was baking in her kitchen..In her newly renamed 'Bosparva Lane Bakery'..

Winter View : Sky

Well January has brought us short sharp shocks in the form of big rain clouds and stormy squalls through Cornwall as the weather tracks up across the country from the South West!  Hey..I sound like a weather girl!

This sky shows an example of just how confused it is...do I wear a coat..or will I need sunglasses!

Also a little tweaking in my 'effects' on my phone   Vintage effect sky!

Winter View : Food!

Maybe not our favourite winter food but one that everyone knows about in our house (!!)..curried cauliflower soup. ..It permeates the whole house..so it has to be eaten quickly and the windows left open upstairs to flush the whiff through!

Pictured today in a lovely big soup bowl Sam bought us for Christmas. ..

Oh and an extra shot of the view from my kitchen..too many parked cars but I hope over the seasons this view will change to show Colin's new units..

Winter Views : outside

Well this is a picture I took yesterday morning..We think with all the rain the roots of this huge fir have become unstable and as there is a bank down into our garden the tree may well have started to lean towards the road and possibly the house close by.

Ross' pal does some tree work for us so is coming to lighten the load next Saturday but it may well need taking down altogether ..A view to watch!
It's also a great view to pick as hopefully it will have some people in sight some seasons as it's our deck and barbecue spot...my favourite is eating a lazy Sunday brunch out there ...

My plan was to take another pic of the field below the yard where Colin plans to build our new workshops...but it's been so grey and wet today that it just hasn't been good to nip out for a photo..so will post one from down the field showing the temporary containers which block our view and take another tomorrow..xx

My World in 7 Words

There are words from a Chris de Burgh song which come to mind when you visit St Ives on a day like today : 

The cafe's are all deserted

The streets are wet again

There's nothing quite like an 

out-of-season holiday town in the rain

...........

Well today we had rain, wind, sunshine and a rainbow all in ten minutes!

Col and I like to grab a couple of hours there of a weekend..A couple of drinks, a walk in whatever weather is being thrown at us and a little peeking round the shops..time to chat and reconnect..brings to mind another 7-word phrase:

'Still having something to talk about together'..

yep, we do, 23 years later.. result! 

3 weathers in 10 minutes!

My World in 6 Words.

Flavoursome French inspired favourite fireside supper xx

My World in 5 Words

Flipping heck : foggy flooded Friday!

My World in 4 Words

After work Port & Music!

My World in Three Words

Trains..planes..automobiles..

pretty much always some conversation or thoughts going on about one of these at the moment!

My World: Two Words

Next Generation..

My world in One Word..

'Work'

Inside : A surprise..

Well I guess for today's picture I should have shown those lovely motion sensor lights Col put in my wardrobe. .but I was needing a cupboard picture that day!

Update on those..We will be having more ..In the other wardrobe and in some cubby holes and drawers too. For those of you who asked they came from Amazon and they were about £11 each..and they are stick on or screw on..X

So..The 'Pirate Weekend' continues.. We didn't make cupcakes. . But we did some more colouring and jigsaws and stuff..then the rain showers cleared and Col and I took the girls over to Praa Sands...It was glorious..Blue sky, fluffy clouds and bright sunshine but a chilly wind ...Lilly wrote 'x' marks the spot every few steps and Lyla found some treasure .. to be fair they drove a lot of the pirate themed imagination and we just went along with it.. makes us sound great though. .haha the perennial weekend with the grandparent syndrome!

We went and got some lunch in the SandBar and they have an aquarium you can view from high sides..The perfect picture...looks like the tank has a surprise inside..A pair of pirate girls!

Oh and Lyla is so so hard to keep still, she always leaves a picture before it takes! 

Inside : a vehicle.

Well I have had Lilly and Lyla today and we christened it 'Pirate Day'..We have a box of pirate fancy dress stuff and even I got in the mood.

Ross found some great Pirate songs on Spotify and how that makes the atmosphere.  Kate's pole was dressed with two new fitted sheets I bought from Lidls to make a galleon! ( slightly too silky and not brushed cotton enough so maybe not a best buy!)

I have buns to make with pirate toppers in the morning and I have had a sneak preview of the bunk beds at their house so I am sure Pirate weekend will be very memorable for them!!

So..inside a vehicle. .I made a big mistake as I forgot to ask Ross and Colin to take a picture when they test drove another Mazda. .so here's the pic from the brochure...

Inside : a building.

Well for the first time this year I have used an old picture.. A church in Lille in France from our trip a couple of years ago...............

Back here ..Zac has just called, we had a lovely long chat with lots of plans for when he gets home and his last phase at college til late July.  It turns out he has 7 weeks before college and not the 5 he thought so we may get some fine weather and chill time..

I think the whole family is in need of some R&R. ..The grandchildren have had coughs and colds and sleep is at a premium at their house.. so the big girls are spending a day an night with us tomorrow. Zac coming home is always a nice excuse to get together and do..jot much x

Work continues to be busy, Colin had two days away seeing customers and his van tells him lots of statistics.. that he has driven 38,000 miles in 3 years..900 hours driving and that is the same as driving 24/7 for 5 weeks! 

I have had some nice orders in..even one from Libya for a fertiliser company..They even want to pay half up front so I am pleased with that..so often exports come to nothing after lots of thing and froing on emails!

..so I should take my leave and get to bed so Super Nannie mode can recharge for 9am!!
Have a good weekend x

Inside :a cupboard

I just love these movement sensitive lights run off small batteries which Col put in my wardrobe this weekend.  

We have dark curtains and not great lighting for seeing into drawers ..

This sorted it...

Inside : a machine

Awhh Jordan put the old computer and printer back on yesterday..yep, Zac and Ross both had it on their lists but she had 'the need' ..so she did it.

My old Epson printer which is our third printer ago from the office. .prints great photos. .yay x

Inside : a box..

So last Friday I took Lyla home from playschool via Tesco and we bought a cupcake mix with Mushi Monster appeal..spotted by Lyla at 20 feet.. good old mass marketing x

So today I can show you what was inside the box and the fun we had making and decorating them.

Annabelle is one year old tomorrow and as everyone is busy and she is not very well we will make a fuss on the weekend.

Poor M&D, they are so mad busy and would so like to find a house to spread out in a bit ...some garden space and even a bedroom each..well maybe not for M&D ..!

Inside : my house.

Well Jordan and I just got in from Pilates and April has been to Zumba..you can guess who is the most exhausted ..April!  Poor thing, she is finding it hard to raise an arm for a wave!

I almost forgot today's picture .. lucky Ross had been tidying ...see him in the mirror! He likes to organise our porch and shed, a degree of OCD there and he isn't keen to take on a cooking shift!  Jordan cooked some pasta early on so no need to make a supper .. ah ha I like Monday evenings!

Colin is out fetching Kate as her new call centre job is from 10 til 8pm on a Monday and the is no train after that for almost an hour! She did a weeks training last week and learnt a lot about debt and finance .. she is working hard and slept most of Saturday afternoon and evening as she gets up earlier than I have ever known..ahh, the beckoning finger of a pay packet..

..so that's a snippet of inside my house this winter Monday evening ...

Stop Press..Kate made her first sale and has earnt commission already..she even came home sporting her work cravat ..The school tie rarely lasted the journey home ..

Colours: Brown

So this is my twig I brought in at Christmas.  

It fitted so perfectly over the granite lintel in our dining area that I was hoping to get some driftwood for that I decided to keep it in place...

The idea is that I will change the hanging things as the seasons progress..hence the pine cones and the Golden heart...Valentine's Day is coming and Zac will be coming home mid Feb so keep an eye open for red hearts and big loves!

Colours : Pink / purple

So... April and Ross bought me this lovely Harvey Nicholls vanity case for Christmas.. A great surprise as I had asked for one but clean forgot until the moment I opened the exquisite gift wrapping in came in.. A box in a box and lovely HN tissue paper and ribbons.

Perfect pink inside the smart black box..and as I took the first photo I saw my reflection in the mirror. .A purple scarf!

Voila!

Colours : Black

There are so many blacks..and so many of my clothes are black I can't always see the item I need in the mornings!

I like a black interior to the car ..

I collected Lyla from playschool and the first thing she wanted to do was eat her lunch!

We went shopping and I bought her Moshi Monsters cupcake making kit for us to make next Tuesday x

We are off car hunting tomorrow and may just stay out for a night..but never fear I have the prompt all ready for next week ..and thanks to Borqna for her ideas for other weeks..x

Colours : White

I think I should have set Black & White as today's prompt as white on its own is not so easy..I know this now!

In our house we have a joke that I change our bedding ..well I strip it and wash it..but I stop short of remaking it..and I often forget to do it..and then bedtime comes!! It is often when Colin is away and he comes home to have to make the bed with me before he can get in it!!

So today I have got half way there..

...and Jordan made this lovely sour dough bread..(and mushroom soup)

Colours : Green

I told Lilly that Santa had left us chocolate money in these little boxes we put on my dresser.. so cute..

And today I started drinking more water..sparkling..featured here in front of my route map which I use to sort Colin's calls ...just a little fed up with tea and coffee all the time in the office.

I have made an appointment to see my usual doc about the throaty thing and now feel a lot better already. .yeah ..that's how anxiety works I suppose. Talking to Col about what my current anxiety may be...do you want a list....we laughed..life is so so much less stressful now than 5byears ago....all or nothing really..but who knows what your inner brain is saying about your son being away 4 months in the high seas, your teen setting foot on the job market and your other kids all pushing hard to make a success of the things they are doing. .

Anyways..These are my green things today...and no, the grass is not greener over the fence which is the main thing ..xxx

Colours :Blue

These little dishes were in my Mum's cupboards and I don't really remember them being used much...but now they are in my crockery drawer and we seem to use them all the time..

..cute and blue xx

I looked after Lyla this afternoon..part of a new plan for the New Year .. we watched the Hungry Caterpillar ..several times!

 She likes to play with a bunch of beads I have in a dish, sadly they won't all thread very easily so we played marbles with them..I picked out some of the blue ones to show you..

Colours :Red

Well this was a no brainer for me..you probably know how much red there is at my house..lots of red carpets and some walls even..In the kitchen I tried to go away from it but the worktops were shouting to me as we went into the store!!

Add this card and scarf from Pops at Christmas..and my nails..yep, a no brainer xxxx

Resolutions: Family

This year is the year Kate will learn to drive..The last one in our family.... it's Colin's job here as I have done the homework, the school plays and the general 'motherly understanding' (Kate's words)

First lesson ..clutch control forward and reverse...

Resolutions:Travel

So.. this year we hope..no..make that Plan..to have more of our weekends away. Also to go on a holiday with Zac and the girls when he is home mid-Feb.

Our real desire is to go to the Maldives and have lots of those snorkeling days..like swimming in a sweet jar! But then there is the option of going somewhere like the Med and getting some sailing practice..well for Col and the kids..me, I shall probably practice lying quietly in the sun with a book of choice.

But then again we might go back to that nice place in Tenerife and make sure that's still nice ..and we can be there and enjoying food, drink and the sun in about 6 hours..unlike the 20 hours from here to our dream island..

..found these brochures in a drawer..oh and the yard in hail.. nothing like a grey day to make you want a holiday..

Resolutions:Clothes

To get rid of some and wear more than the top two layers in my drawers!

Resolutions: Drink!

So... We are just getting going now into January and it's not easy! The phones are pretty quiet and we are functioning on half staff so it feels like a lull. .before the storm maybe.. as they promise us yet more blustery weather tonight and tomorrow.

We already had thunder clapping as the New Year arrived and a grey day yesterday.  Col and I took flowers out yo our Mums and it was pretty grey in the churchyards. .brightening a bit at Marazion later on. We even tried out a bar/kitchen in an Old School..New Years egg on toast .. I love to see how old schools and chapels get converted into new space..often very inventive.

We had some sun today before the wind started to pick up...I have been to restock on food and in fact may well have more in than over Christmas. .but that's a good thing.

It's not like I need anything else to yap about but for some reason I am suffering with some kind of anxious thing... back before our trip in September I thought I had the start of a sore throat, I always expect some cold or something if I am going away..a bit pessimistic I guess. It never materialised and before we went away in November I felt it again..a kind of pressure on my throat, like a collar done up too tight..not inside..just as if I pushed on my throat with my fingers..

So I went to the doc. .a boy of about 12 years old.. who listened and clicked his NHS windows to arrive just where he had decided in the first ten seconds and just where I had expected .. a Globus Hystericus or some other 'mad middle aged woman' type diagnosis. Reassurance and come back in 3 or 4 weeks if no better he said, with the undercurrent of ...'and then see someone older who may actually have an original thought of his own ' .. not sure if it was him or me who thought that the loudest. .haha

Well all was well..I was reassured and it passed off with the flurry of Advent activity ...until the week after work finished. .It just feels odd..not all the time..just all the time except when I drink or eat or get busy! 

So I eat, drink, keep busy but it is still there ....last night I read more..more self diagnosis and honed the sensation down to a more precise diagnosis..yep..still based on anxiety .. to be fair I guess I should go back and check but the idea of a nasty thing stuck down my throat and endless hours passed from pillar to post until I catch something proper nasty does not appeal. .but then I think I sound like an even crazier person who refuses to go to the doctor!

So what do I have to be anxious about? Baring all the things which are pretty much resolved from the past x number of years .... life is currently going along very nicely.. ahah. .maybe that's the rub..I now have created in my happiness something to worry about!!

So..not quite driven to drink ..and for this I offer you a recent purchase..chocolate Bailey's. ...just a small bottle, as yet unopened..I plumped for a nice cup of tea..with a smidgeon of sugar to help me along (yep the healthy eating today went by the by after the second chocolate digestive...but I do have an excuse!)

And also a collage of my picture views from yesterday..

Paul, Porthcurno & Mount's Bay 

Resolutions:Food

To not eat cake all the time. . After this one is done at least!   ;-)