Sorry, lapsing on my blogging duty again! Been really tired the last few days so my brain is not quite in gear!!

Yesterday was another quiet day, mostly at home with a trip to do the recycling and then to a park for a play.

Today we went out with our friends from Kendal down to the river at Sedgewick (another village near us) to collect pebbles for the art group tomorrow. We are attempting to paint pebbles, do paper mosaics and some batik so sounds quite good. All the kids (our two and our friends two) were quite happy paddling about in the water, collecting bits of pottery and making iguana poison from mud (??!!) Then the sun decided to disappear and we headed off to a playground for our picnic lunch. Being very British we enjoyed our lunch in the cold breeze until it looked very like it was about to pour with rain when we decided enough was enough and headed home!! Dave was off getting bits for the truck, picking up paints for art group and other exciting things and then home to fix the truck again. Just as we arrived back it absolutely tipped it down.

Hopefully I will get some photos done tomorrow. My camera needs new batteries and I keep forgetting to get any. Ho Hum....

We all went off to the library this morning to get some new books. The library are running this summer thing for kids called the 'Big Wild Read' where they get prizes for reading books. The theory is that the kids have to finish six books over the summer and they get stickers , bookmarks etc each time they complete one. Well Eilidh had read more than six books in the first week herself and Ben had sat with me and read more than that as well. So they ended up today with all their stickers, and bits and bobs all in one go!! Do other kids just not read, or get read to??? Both Ben and Eilidh love books and Eilidh can get through a proper reading book (junior level) in one night!! It just seems amazing to me that they have to try and bribe kids into reading when our two love it!!

Anyway, I went off shopping this afternoon while Ben proceeded to lay a train track right across the landing from his room to Eilidhs and they both played quite happily (with sound effects much to Dave's annoyance!) until I got back.

It's Eilidh's birthday next week while we are camping and I am desperately trying to think what we can get her as she keeps changing her mind!! She has been on for months that she wants a tree (don't really know why but she has been quite consistent with her request!) so we shall have to go and find one I guess!! She also want a pony ride, a strawberry AND chocolate birthday cake and some Barbie dolls (YUCK!) I somehow think she may be a bit disappointed!!

Getting a bit behind with our blog so here is a quick update! Yesterday not much happened, church then home and pottered about making banana bread and drop scones with the kids which we then proceeded to eat at tea-time. I'm getting a bit worried that all I seem to write about in our blog is what we eat and the weather!!! By the way, quite a nice sunny day again!! The kids did manage to fit in some finger painting and mug painting (presents from little Grandma) which they thoroughly enjoyed.

Today the kids spent this morning cleaning their toys in the garden and then covering them in chalk again, managed to get their feet covered in mud which then had to be washed. Of course they had to splash about in a little bit of water in the bath for half an hour to get them clean. Then we went off to their Home Ed group at Endmoor for an afternoon of playing and drinking coffee and chatting....hard life!!

Yesterday, not much happened, had a holiday cottage to sort out in the morning and spent the rest of the day with our friends in Kendal playing, splashing and drinking coffee!! Dave got back late last night.

Today we had some more cottages to clean and tidy and then went off for a picnic. Unfortunately it started raining a little bit so we ended up sitting in the car eating at a pull-in where there is an ice-cream van overlooking Lake Windermere. Guess what the kids had for pudding??

As the kids had been cooped up while we worked we took them to run off some of their energy at a park, we managed to find a really good one in Bowness which we have never been to before and it was off the tourist route so not too busy. They had a good run around playing on everything for about an hour or so and then we all headed home.

The kids are off to bed and I plan to enjoy a glass of wine (left behind in one of the cottages!) and a roaring fire and relax before the onslaught of all the ironing again!

We decided that the day was just too nice to be at home, so went to Fellfoot Park again. Packed up a picnic, wet-suits, boat and children and went to get our moneys worth from the National Trust!!

Eilidh is having a bit of a problem in that she keeps needing to run to the loo every five minutes so I spent most of the first hour standing in a toilet cubicle with her. Of course she decided she needed the loo again after her wet-suit had been put on...oh what joy!!! Dave took Ben for a paddle in the little dinghy, well Dave swam and pulled Ben along behind him.

We had a lovely day again but had to pack up early to get Eilidh to the doctors this afternoon. Of course they found nothing wrong with her but sent of a wee sample anyway (just to keep me quiet I think!) So we shall see...

Dave has gone over to his mums tonight for a family funeral tomorrow, unfortunately we have holiday cottages booked to clean so we have stayed behind.

Another gorgeous day. Dave planned to get on with building some walls in the garden so I got the kids painting easel set up outside so that they could paint in the sunshine and watch! They both got some big green 'painting t-shirts' on and off they went. Ben's t-shirt almost drowns him but at least it keeps the rest of him relatively clean. They both painted a masterpiece and then went on to dig holes instead and help me with hanging the washing. We also managed to fit in making chcolate brownies while cooking dinner!

This evening we were planning to go over to Brockhole and have a picnic tea by the lake but decided that Ben was shattered and it got a bit chilly. So instead we had a lovely picnic in the garden at the side of our house with a small bonfire going. Apart from the road running past it is very peaceful here.

We woke this morning to lovely sunshine pouring in our window and decided we had better get on and do something with our garden. Me and the kids decided we wanted to see if any of our potatoes were actually growing underneath as we were getting impatient! We tipped one of our potato buckets upside down and they rummaged around finding little pink treasure. We managed to get a handful of potaotes from one bucket, OK that may not sound a lot but we were really, really chuffed with ourselves!!! So we took them straight in and steamed them and then gobbled them up for lunch....YUM!



Dave got on and sorted out the load of logs which were abandoned the other day, stacking them and splitting a load ready for the fire. I disappeared off and did some shopping child-free (hurrah!!) while the kids played in the garden, digging, and drowning action man again!!


Later we decided to have a bonfire to burn off some of the garden rubbish, the kids helped gather up wood and bark and we sat out enjoying a very smokey bonfire. The kids decided to clean all the other treasure they have found around the garden (bits of pottery, slate and goodness knows what else).They happily scrubbed them with old toothbrushes for ages and then left them to dry!! We came in for tea and then went back out to try out baked bananas with chocolate on the bonfire! Very scrummy!




It has been a really nice, easy going afternoon and the kids have just enjoyed being able to get muddy and dig in the garden all day. Two tired children again!