It doesn't take much to keep him happy. Just an afternoon warm enough for a spot of after school bouncing. I wish I was still flexible enough to fling about like this - it must feel like flying!
March 15, 2012
March 13, 2012
Bubbles, bouncing and yet more blossom
Last weekend was lovely here. The first proper days of spring arrived, bright and warm enough to tempt us outside for most of the day.
Toby was in his element once again, tearing around the garden and reacquainting himself with his beloved trampoline and swing (which are completely neglected in the cold and wet of winter). We bought him an industrial bubble blower earlier in the year and this was its first outing (he's broken 3 cheaper ones in the last year and this one is the kind used by DJ's at kiddies parties, so hopefully it will last). It created a most impressive stream of bubbles which completely thrilled Toby and he was once again transported to ecstasy by the delights of bouncing in a bubble storm! His favourite trampolining manoeuvre is a back-drop which he throws himself into fearlessly and that's why you can see his feet right up near the top of the netting! He scares the pants off me!
I will definitely have to ration bubble time though - we got through a whole litre of bubble mix in the 2 days! I think in future the kitchen timer will be pressed into action and bubbles will be limited to 10 minutes at a time, aren't I a spoilsport?
It was so warm and sunny that we even managed to coax Amy away from her computer and she came outside to swing for a bit. H & I just pottered, tidying up the garden at a leisurely pace and enjoying Toby's squeals of happiness. I couldn't resist taking a few more blossom pictures. The tree is so beautiful clad in frothy white blossom and although it's not yet at it's peak, it is a sight that lifts my spirits.
Being outside in the sun again has really energised me and made me realise how tired and weary I've felt of late. I feel like tidying up the house, sorting out the garden and tackling a long list of tasks that I've been putting off for too long. Unfortunately I've got Amy home from school with a flu-like virus so the spring cleaning will have to wait for another day - I wonder if my urge to tackle it will last!
February 29, 2012
blossom, birdsong and bunnies
It definitely feels like the start of spring here because now we have all the right ingredients. There is plum blossom...
birdsong...
and a big old bundle of bunnies!
I'm putting the finishing touches to them now so will email my mailing list and update my facebook page as soon as they're ready.
I do like spring and the feelings of hope and anticipation that it brings along with it. I am hopefully anticipating long summer days with Toby tearing around the garden and exhausting himself so he can sleep all night. As Toby grows bigger our house seems to feel smaller and I think we have a touch of cabin fever after the winter!
February 23, 2012
making winter February
Part of the Making Winter series started by Silverpebble and Thriftyhousehold.
Actually it's difficult to think about winter because today feels decidedly spring-like. The sun is shining and the forecast is for temperatures of 15oc, which is a far cry from the snow and freezing weather of early February. The warmer weather makes me want to get outside and tackle all of the garden jobs that I've been too wimpish to face in the cold winds. But first I need to do a little planning, so this morning after the children went off the school I got out my seed box and started organising my veggie garden.
Sitting and pondering what to grow and where is one of my favourite end-of-winter jobs and a nice way to celebrate the arrival spring (oh please say we're done with the snow for this year!)
So, after I finish my elevensies cup of tea and cheese scone I'll be donning my wellies and heading off outside. The beds need tidying up after the weight of the snow dislodged the protective plastic and I'll be digging in some chicken poo and composted kitchen peelings to top up the nutrient levels. Then comes the fun part of planting seeds into little coir pellets - they come as compressed discs and swell delightfully after you add water. Then they're ready for you to drop in a couple of seeds and get the magic started!
Hooray for the end of winter (hopefully!) and for the start of making some delicious summer veg!
PS: The herb labels and green seed tidy came from Sarah Raven x
February 20, 2012
germy half termy
Last weeks half term break turned into a rather germy affair for us when poor Toby came down with a mystery virus and reacted with his usual high temperature fever of 103o - 104o. He looked really awful and was groaning a lot and that together with the really high temperature had me on high alert. I always find these episodes rather scary as it is difficult to gauge how ill he really is because he simply can't tell anyone how he's feeling, and like all things Tobyish you have to rely on guess work and trust your instincts. After 2 days of lying flaked out in bed refusing all but the tiniest sips of water his temperature started coming down and when he started requesting chocolate ice-cream again we knew he was feeling better! Having his big sister on hand for tickles and cuddles cheered him too.
Today they are both back at school and I'm enjoying some time to knit again. I have been working on lots of animals over the last 2 months but seem to be having difficulty with knuckling down to finishing them off. Recently I've been in a real knit phase and the thought of sewing up and stuffing is a chore, so for now I'm going with the knitting urge and as a result have this big old tangled basket of bits and pieces. I've been especially enjoying making clothes - mostly lots of dresses with flowers which are probably a result of my yearning for the arrival of spring!
Hopefully the desire to sew up and stuff will seize me soon and a few more finished animals will emerge from the mess!