More Family stuff..

In our house we don't really do 'Family Heirlooms' but I do have a few items which are from my Mum's house and which are particularly special.

The picture of my Dad aged about 7 is a favourite and I found it a place in my kitchen today..The copper kettle was my Gran's I think and the Sweet dish also hers.. I move it around the kitchen and try to use it rather than making it so special it isn't used or appreciated.

I guess we have had things for over 20 years now so some of our things may become family heirlooms for the children..though I am much less fussy about whether something gets broken or anything these days...not sure if that's an age or generation thing?

Lilly stayed at school this week for Cupcake Decorating class! A perfect after school club!  Maybe she has a connection with Jordan?  Did I mention that Jordan now bakes from my Mum's kitchen in the annexe to our house where Mum lived..? It's really nice as after Mum died Jordan wasn't too keen to go in there but now she feels a great affinity to the place where her Gran showed her how to make mince pies and coffee cake!

Family : Resemblances

You know how it is when you catch your reflection in the mirror and it's your Mum? Or when you hear words coming out of your mouth and they have been said to you a generation before?  I even 'feel' like I imagine my Mum felt, when I do up the baby's coat or put on their shoes etc.

I first noticed the resemblance as a teenager when I was drying my hair and my dressing table had those extra mirrors at the sides, not directly looking in the mirror, you know the way.

This is a picture I took for the no-make up Facebook thing which has been going around.. and one of my Mum..

Family : Brothers & Sisters

Well I will probably use this to catch up with some of our holiday snaps and some updates on the young ones..

Lots of people told me last week how alike Jordan and I are but I think a lot of it is about mannerisms and also our her being similar.  Zac and Kate seem to be very similar roo.  Both lean and towards blondish curly (if left to its own devices!) hair but other times I really think Jordan and Zac could pass as twin brother and sister..

..and I couldn't let this pas without saving this great pic of the girls last month on Book Day...

Entrances..

Oh my goodness, what a disaster my blogging was on holiday! I had even set the prompt so it would suit the places and thing I may have seen but the WiFi connection was a bit sad and I just didn't get there.

Also I see that the words keep getting lost off the prompt after a moments viewing, hoping that will remedy for next week.. 

So, I am back home. A week of lovely days in Tenerife with the three youngest of my brood.. mind you they are all pretty grown up in their own right.. 17-21, so lots of evenings we two were in bed before the young ones had their last mojito!   The weather was a bit cooler than when we went in November but we all managed to enjoy the sun and did lots of things.. Segways (not me!), jetskis (me on the back.. and my back is not so happy about the after effects!) and a trip sailing.. (well on a sailing boat with a motor and no sails up.. but that seems to be the way of things out there.)

So here are a few pictures of some entrances which may just fit the bill:

• A Front Door... this is actually a door which is a window at my FIL's barn conversion next door.. he uses it like a Front Door as he often opens it to say hello as his living place is 'upstairs'.. at Christmas it was a welcoming sight when you came home in the dark!

•  A Grand Entrance.. for us at our hotel.. and a fabulous aroma fills the air, like an oriental blossom..

• an 'Unhappy' or 'Distressed' Entrance.. I pass this on the way home from Lisa's house and one day stopped to take this picture.. someday I guess it may be restored.. or replaced with UPVC God forbid!

• Entrance to a Special Place..Jordan, Kate and Zac peering out of our kitchen window back in 1999 or so, the paving slabs were from the original floors in the house and have been used as patio and now as a wall topping.. x
  
  
  

•  Steps to an Entrance.. The Liver Building from our visit last November.. hoping we may go back in warmer weather..and some steps over at the Minack where we had this picture taken with Col's folks way back in 1992 when we married.

•  A Modern Entrance... our double glazed door, with windows both sides.. perfect for babies safely considering 'Joey the Cat'

• A Surprise Entrance ..this is a gate / doorway in the wall just about a mile from us. I like the name.. 

 Phew.. hope this catches me up.. pics of the hols to follow soon.. watch this space for pilot whales and jetskis smiles!

Natural light

..mainly as my battery was low!

Warm early evening after a lovely afternoon seeing our pal Jerry who happened to be in Tenerife this weekend..

Shadowplay

..my two menfolk at the summit of Mount Teide today..

Sunlight & reflection. .

Sorry everyone..I got to choose the prompt for my week's holiday so maybe it is easier for me, but I did want to be able to join in..!

Indoor lights!!

Just arrived at our hotel.. I knew there would be indoor lights to die for..The huge chandelier must be 10 feet high and 10 feet across!!

Light : ... & dark.

Well I am writing this en route to Bristol airport with Col and the 3 youngest, the first leg of our travel day to Tenerife...funny as they are all adults now but you always get described by your position in the family..

Col and I popped to Exeter at the weekend..gave the new car a.but of a trial run...lush..We got a Mazda 6 ..you may not be surprised that it is red .. Soul Red to be exact and has lots of gizmos. .perfect for my Col who loves all things technical. It is comfy too and I hope he will use it more for trips away ashis demo van is quite a thing to find parking for sometimes..

 and with our light prompt in mind I took some lovely pictures of market food stalls around the ruins if an old church.  I loved the sunshine and the shadow across the colourful fajita stall was sure to fit a light /dark prompt..

The sign was a fun ad for a beer tent..or rather been gazebo and it was a good feeling to see enterprising young guys running a number if really healthy true food stalls..

Not sure about indoor light..shall come back to that on my hols I think..

Bookishness..

I love to have a book or books to read on holiday but i do feel the guilt as my family, apart from Jordan are not great readers. Col loves to learn new technology stuff but usually from videos and television. Zac has to learn for a living so he likes to chill and misic is always on when he is about.. and Kate, well she loves the watch TV (drot mainly) and doesn't really read a lot either.

So.. on my hols I may read, or I may not...

Here is an idea of the books in my house..(I used to sell for Usborne, children's books through party plan and made many friends doing this and also supervising others selling.. yeah, sales is in the blood it seems!)

Monday : Today I read a great article about how motherhood and grandmother hood teaches us about ourselves and each other, even our Mums who are not with us..


Tuesday : Fact or Fiction?

I like good fiction but also Biographies.. a mix of the ones on my shelf.. 
Fergal Keane's book is short pieces, great writing, 
Billie Piper's was easy reading but also quite revealing..
Jane Fonda was hard going as so many people mentioned but again an amazing life(I still need to read this completely) 
Jools Oliver's pregnancy book.. fluffy and funny and a fast skim through.. 
Desert Flower about a Somalian girl come model was so interesting about her childhood but the thread lost at the end, like she finished it in a hurry.

I love Anita Shrive.. her best one is missing!

Patrick Gale lives locally and writes well about this area and Notes on an Exhibition is great especially his description of our local cinema!






My bookshelves are more like storage.. these are some of the text books from my social policy degree, which I finished way back when in 1982!

Children's books : My favourite character is Mrs Large from the Large family series..






.. and my favourite read to Ross was Jack and the Combine, I used to scare him with the Crunch Crunch Crunch sound of the combine!






.. and for amusement value here is reference book I read a year or two ago when a virus made me think I may need all this info.. now it seems I do for sure! ;-) Oh joy x


Well I think that just about covers my book stories for this week.. off to fetch my new car!