On safari

I am having a lovely holiday this week, Murray is off, the kids are off and I only worked one day. Bliss. I have slept A LOT! Had a horrible migraine on Monday and have been suffering a slight migraine hangover since. I am hoping all of this sleeping will re charge my poor batteries.

Murray and I have been planning on taking the kids to the Safari park this summer. We have been super excited , we didn't tell the kids just in case something came up. As it tends to do in our summers!  But nothing did and we actually made it!

 We woke everyone up super early and told the kids where we were going! It was great!  We saw some great animals and the kids had a fab time

driving through the wild animal reserves,

thinking about getting one of these for Meatball! haha

Waiting for the boat to "chimp island"

We don't see grumpy Kirsten very often, but she came with us to the safari park! Luckily she was back to her happy self around about picnic time.

Here's the boat!

setting sail for chimp island.

The cage you can see was around our boat, apparently the chimps like to "throw things! lol . Cue Fraser doing his Madagascar impression " if you have any poo, fling it now!"

Over the bridge to Lemur Island

The lemurs were so cute, My favourite was the Mummy Lemur cradling her baby.

they are free to roam around the island as they please, there were signs asking us not to touch the lemurs. They didn't seem fazed by us at all. They just went about their business.

the little one's stripy tail was so tiny and so cute!

we came across this guy making his merry way along the fence, at first he looked like a stuffed toy!

I like the reflections in these next ones, some of the Lemurs were in their little house

checking out the lemurs.....

checking out her hair! LOL

Gasp! A photo with Mummy in it!

 And many more to come! eek!

Having our picnic lunch

cheers!

with some cheeky locals who wanted our yummies!

playing in the adventure playground

this was a living nightmare for me! I couldn't see them for about 10 mins at a time!Luckily Fraser was an excellent big Brother and looked after K very responsibly, without even being asked.

K was a bit daunted by the big high slide!

looks like she got a helping shove hand!

She was even more daunted after coming down the big high slide!

So she stuck to the littler one the next time!

I shlould have tried to fit this in the car ........

feeding the animals at the pet farm

K touched one of their pointy horns

"Stop Pig!!" yelled K as she was trying to feed  him but he didn't see her!

watching Lola the sea lion in the sea lion show

Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl

Some animals on parade

Homeward bound

mmmm a "small" icecream to begin the journey home

One of these was Daddy's! I swear!

Off we go for one last drive through the wildlife reserves before home.

we saw Meatball there ! Look!

We had a great day, made lots of memories and managed to leave with only 3 wild animals!

The two we arrived with!

And one tiny one

(photo taken by K!)

Some summer reading

This week I finished reading the Godfather, by Mario Puzo. Another book from "the list".

I think I was in quite a fortunate position when I started reading this book. Having never seen the film I was able to conjure up images of the characters for myself. Also, the only parts of the story that I knew were what I had heard on You've got mail. So really, not a lot.

I also started out with very little expectation. I always believed it to be very violent and the whole idea of a mafia family conjured up images of violent criminals for me. In all honesty I didn't expect to fnish it.

 I certainly didn't expect to love the book like I did! I could not put it down! I was drawn in by the sense of family and loyalty. I loved how the story played out, how it took you to the very beginning of the Don's story and then brought you back

Even the parts that I guess I would have believed to be violent, didn't make me uncomfortable, like I thought they would. I even found myself  wanting these "bad guys" to get their comeuppance. I am sure one of the more shocking parts of the book was the part where Michael Corleone ordered his Brother in law to be killed. I should have been outraged at such a cold and callous act, but I actually wanted him to be punished for what he had done to his wife and unborn child.

I trully enjoyed reading this book, I guess I just don't want to think deeply enough that this fiction is in fact a reality and has been for many years. I am sure I wouldn't enjoy the book, quite as much, if it was written now, in the present. The hints of narcotics becoming "the next big thing" from the book would most certainly be a big part of the story if it was written now, the Corleone family were adament that they would not become involved in the narcotics side of things, sadly, I am sure it would be almost impossible to avoid here in 2010 . And I am sure the Don would seem far less distinguished and gentlemanly. He would just seem seedy and cliche. But it was a different time and even crime was very different , it seemed to soften it all a little for me. Definitely easier to think of it all in a fictional sense. I was able to picture the Dn strolling around with all of his wealth, his fedora and smart suits.

Overall I loved it, I can't wait to see the film and it is definitely a classic that I am glad I have read. I am sure it is a book I will read again.

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I have been enjoying reading plenty of Dr Seuss books with K. My all time favourite HAS to be

How The Grinch stole Christmas.

Of course! (Did we really expect any less?)

I just love the rhyming in these books, I always feel slightly dizzy by the end, not sure if it is because I barely pause for breath or because the rhymimg makes me want to go faster and faster!

I love the illustration. The simple Christmas decorations and all the little who's tucked up in bed

And of course, the happy ending. Sigh, I love a happy ending.

Especially one involving Christmas!!

Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,

Was singing! Without any presents at all!

He hadn't stopped Christmas from coming!

IT CAME!

Somehow or other it came just the same!

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch - feet ice-cold in the snow,

Stood puzzling and puzzling: "how could it be so?

"It came without ribbons! It came without tags!

"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"

And he puzzled three hours, til his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.

"Maybe Christmas ..... perhaps .... means a little bit more!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Another I really enjoyed was Dr Seuss' sleep book. It all starts out with just one yawn.

A yawn is quite catching, you see, like a cough.

It just takes one yawn to start other yawns off.

It was so hard to read without yawning! And we both, definitely, felt sleepy by the end. There is in fact a note of caution at the beginning, telling you that " this book is to be read in bed"! lol

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Next I am moving on to Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen.  It certainly seems strange after my mind being so immersed in the underworld!  I have to say I am not won over yet! I am only on page 20, I have very little idea of what is going on and I am finding it all a little dull.

I have a sneaking suspicion that I am just not quite clever enough to get the most out of this book! But I will persevere!

The first harvest!

No, they probably weren't technically quite ready yet, but their little orange tops had popped up through the ground and  they were teasing us! It proved to be too much!

So I let the kids pull one carrot each!

They were so tiny!!

But the wee ones were excited, nonetheless.

Planted and pulled by our own fair hands. So proud!

A quick wash

And then they were gone!

Yum!

 

Everyone was happy.

What could be better!?

Anyone for afternoon tea?

Yesterday I had mentioned that we went to a car boot sale. A few people asked me what this was, so for all of the non - brits reading this, it is like a sort of portable yard sale. Car boot sales are an organised event where people take thier unwanted goods and sell them from the boot/trunk of their car. Well, really on tables and rails. Mostly you can get good bargains, but also some over priced rubbish, especially if the owners class them as "antiques". Are they old??  yes. Antiques?? no way!

Anyway, I had a project in mind so we popped along to our local bi-weekly car bootsale.
Here are sonme of my bargains.

I fell in love with this sheet ,music

Isn't Rudolph adorable???

It has even been signed by someone, I have no idea who, but someone!

I can see this becoming a super nice Christmas decoration, but not sure what yet. It will have to be framed as it is old and pretty fragile. But not bad for £1.

I fell in love with this plate. I remember a similar one from my childhood,

I am sure my mum inherited it from a Great Aunt or something. I remember it from parties and with cakes on for afternoon teas.

Mine was only £1.

Next I gathered what I needed for my project. I saw one recently at an event and just knew i had to give it a try!

2 plates

One dinner plate and one side plate

Or you could use two dinner plates, I suppose, depends on what kind of look you want.

Next, a sweet little glass.

All 3 items purchased from a sweet old lady for £1.50.

You will also need your trusty glue gun.

My cousin Ashley left me a link for a super sweet crocheted cake slice, in a comment on my post from last week. I was asking for suggestions for sweet things to put on my new cake stand. She mentioned she would like a vintagy cake stand. So I though I would share this idea for a sweet DIY (read cheap) vintagy cake stand.

Take your small plate and your glass and do this

You need to make sure it is in the centre as much as possible. This isn't always possible with old plates and glasses I guess, but as close as you can get.

Draw around the glass.

Put a line of hot glue on the outline of the glass, thatyou have just drawn.

Place your glass on top of the glue and let dry for a minute or so.

voila.

Next you need to line up your top tier and bottom tier. The only way I could centre it was to place it on and then look down on it from above.

My plates are from the same set, so the little one fitted neatly into the centre of the big plate.

I didn't draw all around the base of the glass this time. I just put 4 little lines to show where it needed to be.

Put a line of hot glue around the edge of the base of the glass. I covered the whole of the base in glue and you can see it! But my glue isn't 100% clear, so this is your call. I am sure mine will be strong but it isn't as pretty as it should have been.

Replace the glass onto the large plate/bottom tier ensuring it is within the little lines that you made.

Once dry you have made a cute little cake stand!

Ta da!

(sweet little bow to hide your ugly glue mistake is optional lol)

Anyone for afternoon tea??

I haven't added photos of all the steps as I thought they were either self explanatory or I could describe them better than I did. If anyone would like more details then I would happily make another and post more pics!

Easy like a Sunday morning.....

.. was going to be the inspiration for my post this Sunday. It has been a few weeks since I have been able to link up with

I haven't even had time to catch up with everyone's posts. So this weekend I decided that we would have a lovely, easy and lazy Sunday morning.

Well last night my Princess didn't really sleep well. She then was up and at 'em far too early. She was also in a crazy mood. This usually spells trouble! Funny , yes. Lively, yes. Easy and lazy? No!

Eventually I begged Daddy to take her out for a bike ride so she could burn off some energy, she is a spirited girl and on crazy days like these, a bike ride is a fool proof plan! I got to snuggle back in and catch up on some of the sleep I missed in the night time.

When I woke up, no one was home. Almost 2 hours later?? Hmm even in a crazy mood, this girl couldn't peddle for 2 hours.

Then they arrived home in Grandad's car. I guessed they had just popped in for a visit.

Wrong! They had made an emergency trip to Granny's house for some first aid!

My poor chicken had had a little accident, on crazy days her balance and stability are just not as good as usual and yep you guessed it, a face plant occurred.

Her very first fat lip!

So much for an easy Sunday morning, poor girl.

 

Sorry I have nothing else to share, We did head out this afternoon to a car boot sale, our poor version of a yard sale. I did manage to score some bargains though! A little more on that tomorrow.

But for now we are off to eat some ice cream.

For medical reasons of course!

The summer grinch

I am feeling decidedly Grinchy today , I looked in the mirror this morning and this is what I saw

This is what summer does to me LOL. Maybe it is a scottish summer thing, if it is hot I am too hot. I lost half my day yesterday to a horrible migraine, which was brought on I think by a mixture of allergies, bright sun and being too hot.

If it is cold and rainy, I can't enjoy it because then everyone around me moans about the weather, moans about the lack of summer.

Humbug.

Today I have forced myself to look for the good things about the summertime. I will find at least 5 things to love about today.

Number 1 - Back in the springtime the kids and I sat down to plant some seeds. In all honesty I didn't think anything would grow! I just thought of it as a good learning experience for the kids and something to look forward to. (Even if I did think I would have to go and buy some veg from the supermarket and bury it for the littles to find lol.)

Well low and behold! But we have growth!!

 Look at the broccoli!! I have about 8 broccoli plants and one has started to grow a little head of the good stuff! So excited!

And check out these bad boys!

Mmmm we may be able to eat our own produce after all!!

This is exciting!!

I do realise that everything is pretty squashed in , but I wasn't expecting EVERYTHING to grow! So I don't know what to do now! I can't move them as they are all entwined!

Number two - Everytime I step out of my back door, I hear two sweet little voices singing to me.

Ok it is more like a yelling of " Hey lady!! How about a little sumthin' sumthin' to nibble on!"

But how could anyone resist these little faces??!

Aww. Boy, do they love them some grass!

Number 3 - It is the summer holidays!! I have my 2 cherubs with me all day today along with another little cherub who we look after. No one has to go to school and all my little chickens are right here in the nest where I like them to be! (my grinchyness wants to go into how the kids are all sick of the sight of each other and are bickering constantly-  but I wont! this is my sunny side up post!!)

Number 4 - The sun is shining! It is a beautiful day, I live by the sea side and I am a short 10 min drive from the beautiful town of St Andrews and one of the best beaches in the country! Referring back to number 4, no one has any where to be! So, what is stopping us slapping on some sunscreen , rolling up our beach blanket , and heading on up there?? Nothing! Let's go have ourselves some summer!

(I did not take this pic, it's from flickr)

Less than an hour from now we will be strolling down this path , with buckets and spades bumping off  excited little legs .

Number 5 - IT IS FRIDAY! By 6pm tonight my working week will be over, my sweet hubby will be home for a long weekend and I can possible even enjoy a long cold drink in the back garden.

The head is still a little fragile but my cup is now definitely half full!

I will don my sunglasses, knock back a little ibuprofen and anti histimines and go enjoy our day.

Hope it's a good one for you too xx

I need your (decorating) help!

After spending a year in our new house (wow where did it go??) I am beginning to get a feel for what I would like. I have always lived in rented houses and this is the first time we have owned the space! I feel like we have come such a long way! I can not wait to share some before pics of my place, we wanted to create a blank canvas for ourselves so we could make this home our own, therefore all walls are magnolia and all wood is painted white. This could very well be our forever home , so I want to take my time and build some memories into each room.

So, I have had bare walls for a year now and I am gradually building bits and pieces and adding colour here and there. I have a few ideas and lots of craftiness going on, which I am loving. But there are a few things that I just can't start as I don't know how to or can't finish as I am not sure what I want.

Enter - you!!

I need advice, I need inspiration, I need links and specific instructions! If you don't know, then I need you to forward this post on to your friend, you know the one who is super creative and thrifty??

So far I only have two problem items , I am sure plenty more will crop up!

I am a cat's whisker away from being finished in my kitchen! The kitchen was diabolical when we moved in! So we literally cleared the place, started over, installed a new kitchen and painted the lovely cream walls and white wood.

And that was it! Black, white and cream. Fresh and light and I loved it. But there were no pictures, nothing really personal and no curtains or blinds. Luckily someone knew exactly what the room needed and that was Lor, she gave me some adorable little fabric hearts that were red (spotty and gingham !) . Gradually more red has crept in and more recently a little chest of drawers made it's home in there too.

I can't share it all as I am waiting on my final curtain pole going up, so hopefully this week. But I need help with what to put on my sweet little chest of drawers.

Yesterday I bought a cake stand. I am in love! It is sweet, it is glass and it has a lid. (and it came from Ikea!) Be still my beating heart!

I love you little cake stand!

But it is empty! What does it need?? I know what I will be putting in there at Christmas time! LOL But for right now, I am stumped.

Suggestions?? Something red? Does it need a ribbon? Help!?? Should I just be traditional, bake and put an actual cake in there?? LOL


Also I am not sure if you will recall but I recently did a wishlist post about my desire for a craft room. No I did not win the lottery and build myself a crafting studio! I have however, rearranged my bedroom and I am putting together a craft area / corner. with a little help from my big sis.

My first purchase was this guy

I love him! I found him all alone in the local second hand shop and I took him home. I love his colour and he is so tiny but comfortable.

the problem is that he has been used as a painting chair at some point in his life. He is covered in splashes of paint. I have tried taking it off but to no avail, so he will have to be sanded down and painted. Or some thing.

I don't know where to start, should he be brown? Should I sand him down and stain him the colour that he is now??

Should I paint him white? or green? What kind of paint should I use? I haven't ever painted a chair before!

The colours of my bedroom are cream, pale green and brown. The rest of my bedroom furniture is behind K in this pic, just so you can see the colour.

Help me!!