Recycled Lanterns...

The Christmas tree had been taken down, all our lovely twinkly lights had gone and it was all looking a tad boring!! After spending far too long on Pinterest (again!) I saw that some of the other Home Eddy people were busy getting themselves organised for this month, looking up Chinese New Year.....aha...light bulb moment....we'll make some lovely Chinese Lanterns to cheer up the blank space and have a seasons table instead. Then ....aha.....another light bulb moment........why not use the old calender which had beautiful flower pictures on to make them with....

TA DA...........

Not got as far as hanging them up yet but aren't they pretty? Now got to figure out what else to do........

Limbo Land....

I have been put to shame by all the other bloggers out there who seem to have made New Year resolutions to write their blogs more frequently....well....almost! I'm not going to promise anything at the moment but we'll just see how it goes.

We've had a weird couple of months, DH has had mysterious pains in his lower abdomen area for a couple of months now, the Doctor is baffled, scans and tests have showed nothing and after much to-ing and fro-ing he is due to see a Consultant tomorrow to see if he can figure it out! This has meant that as a Self-Employed Handyman who can't even pick up his toolbox, he hasn't been able to do much, let alone work. The run up to Christmas was not looking great in our house. However we have had some fantastic friends and family who have really been like our Christmas Angels, and we are extremely grateful to them. Logs have been chopped and stacked, food has appeared from people we have only just got to know, gifts we never expected have been given and even some anonymous financial assistance has landed on our doorstep. People out there are still fantastic whatever anyone else may tell you!! We had a lovely, relaxing Christmas Day and it was certainly helped by our Angels, we really hope to be able to pay it forward sometime soon.....

Now onto New Year......We're hoping tomorrow will bring some clues as to how we can move forward but this New Year it feels like we are living in a kind of Limbo Land, we can't really think about what 2012 may bring until we know where we stand and how it's going to effect work and our home life etc....so for the moment we are ever so slightly plan-less (is that a word?!) and will just have to go with the flow, that includes Home Ed!!

For now we have to remember....we have happy, healthy kids, we have a roof over our heads, heat in our fire, food in our cupboards, great friends and families and even the luxury of a nice car to get around in, we really are blessed where others aren't......

Have a blessed New Year and may it bring all you need and wish for x     

We've been on Holiday!!

Yes, after thinking we were going nowhere again this year we have actually just come back from a fantastic two weeks in our new (to us!!) campervan. We have dreamed of having a van and being able to go around the Scottish Islands for soooo long so as soon as we brought the van we were planning our first trip!! We had a weekend history festival in Lanark already planned so from there we headed to Bute, the Kintyre Peninsula and then onto Arran.........We only spent three nights on campsites to catch up with showers and washing and electric but the rest of the time was waking up to beaches and the sea at any spot we could find to stop......gorgeous!! I won't bore you all with the details but here are just a few highlights.....

Romans at History Festival

!7th century encampment

Then off to drive the Blunderbus to Bute and Arran....five ferries in all!

 

We saw quite a few of these.....

Had a birthday meal for Eilidh...grand old age of ten

Saw some amazing views (Kintyre Peninsula)

and some gorgeous sunsets...

Between the bickering, the kids amused themselves...

Went down a fair few long and winding roads!....

Spent hours doing this....

and even got in some art lessons!....

Built a fantastic sand fort on a beautiful beach...

and got chased by a few waves....

Found some great spots to camp...

and lived the life of Riley!!....

Happy bunnies all round....

We had fires by the beach......

Found some great play parks by the sea...

even found a castle!.....

Saw boats and harbours...

and some truly wonderful rainbows ...can you see it?

and out lovely Blunderbus did us proud xx

Would I go back tomorrow?   Oh YES!!

A bit of this and a bit if that.....

Over the last couple of weeks we've been busy enjoying the lovely sunshine up here, it always amazes me that we seem to rush around everywhere but I an never remember what we've done!! When I do remember a camera I can remind myself but it's all the times I forget and then kick myself for not having it with me....frustrating!!

So here's a little of what we've been up to....

We found a lovely bit of river for swimming and paddling..

Nothing better than reading in the sunshine

Paddling...

Playing and ice-cream by the river in Kendal

Re-enactors at the Windermere airshow

Oops...too slow...that was the red arrows!!

Bit of crazy golf...

Boys at Brockhole..

Confession of a messy Home Educator....

I had to laugh this morning when I read a post from someone on one of the Home Educating Facebook pages I read asking how other people manage to have the kids at home all day, home educate and keep the housework and household paperwork under control.....simple answer.......I DON'T!! My house is always a mess, stuff everywhere (not helped by piles of craft stuff for my business or a husband that thinks everything 'will come in handy one day') Only really good friends get invited around, ones that won't think anything of finding a pile of washing up in the sink, lego spread all over the floor or boxes of car parts in the living room (don't ask!!) I completely understand that some people really can't accept our way of living.....shame really but we'll move on...life really is too short to spend it keeping up with the Jones's.

Anyway it just reminded me of this great poem which I'm sure I've put up on the blog before but can't find now....(bit like most things in my house really!!) At the end of the day what matters most to you??

My dishes went unwashed today ...

My dishes went unwashed today,
I didn't make the bed,
I took his hand and followed
Where his eager footsteps led.

Oh yes, we went adventuring,
My little son and I...
Exploring all the great outdoors
Beneath the summer sky

We waded in a crystal stream,
We wandered through a wood...
My kitchen wasn't swept today
But life was gay and good.

We found a cool, sun-dappled glade
And now my small son knows
How Mother Bunny hides her nest,
Where jack-in-the-pulpit grows.

We watched a robin feed her young,
We climbed a sunlit hill...
Saw cloud-sheep scamper through the sky,
We plucked a daffodil.

That my house was neglected,
That I didn't brush the stairs,
In twenty years, no one on earth
Will know, or even care.

But that I've helped my little boy
To noble manhood grow,
In twenty years, the whole wide world
May look and see and know.
 

Merlin in the Park...

There's a lovely park not far from us in Lancaster, Williamson Park. Each year there a local theatre company puts on a great outdoor show, last year was Peter Pan (in the pouring rain!) and this year it was Merlin in the beautiful sunshine....it was brilliant! It's a lot of money for us to go but it's the one thing which I can honestly say I'm happy to spend it on. The scenes are all set at different location around the park and everyone troops around with their picnic blankets, bubbly and chairs to enjoy each part..there's nothing quite as exciting as outdoor theatre!!

Ashton Memorial - in the middle of the park

Arthur killing the dragon

Birthday Blues and Vintage Tractors...

Not my birthday blues but our 'not so little' lad Ben.. It was his birthday this week, after getting himself totally over excited the previous week he ended up with a high temperature and feeling poorly for a few days, one being his birthday. As an early birthday treat we went to our very first Circus (for all of us!), it was great with loads of different acts and even stunt bikes and a comedy trampoline show, two of Ben's favourites. He managed to get through the show and enjoyed it but wasn't feeling too good, with a headache and funny tummy ....poor boy!  Still he had a good, if quiet birthday and just enjoyed playing with his new toys all day and then he felt well enough to hit Pizza Hut in the evening (YUMMY!)

Yesterday we woke up to discover the field opposite us which has always been used as grazing land since we moved here is being ploughed up! This may not seem too exciting but it is a little weird looking out and seeing brown instead of  lush green with sheep and cows. The other slightly weird thing is that they seem to be doing it with a couple of old 'vintage' tractors!! They have been at it all day today and it's slow work compared to the monster tractors of this day and age. Being the nosey neighbour types (!) we went over to have a gawp and one of the men told us they had offered to do it for the farmer as they wanted to try their old tractors and he had agreed, even saying if they did a good job they could do the next one along. It seems he's just ploughing it up and then re-seeding...not really sure why but I guess the farmer knows what he's doing!! It's been quite fun watching their progress through the day and they must be shattered, they don't seem to have stopped all day.