I'm a bit late to the Giro party but since I actually took my camera out with me for once I thought it would be rude not to share a few photos! Such a great experience being part of an amazing event. There's nothing Team Boyd like better than getting caught up in the whirlwind of special events, especially if we can clad ourselves in all manner of souvenirs at the same time! And the more people we can drag into the fun with us, the better. This is what our Giro looked like.
So summer came and went and I didn't blog it. But I did live it to the full and in my book that matters more.In other news, I got a new camera *squeeee*!! To say I am very excited would be putting it mildly. So last weekend I took it for a test drive to St. George's Market. How I love the market! The boys, they love the fish counter (I do not but it affords many photo opportunities!) Me, I love the atmosphere, the coffee, the Suki teas, the thought of owning so much of the amazing local craft and artwork on display. A fine morning out indeed.
Yes, I do declare all Saturdays should start like this!
So summer came and went and I didn't blog it. But I did live it to the full and in my book that matters more.In other news, I got a new camera *squeeee*!! To say I am very excited would be putting it mildly. So last weekend I took it for a test drive to St. George's Market. How I love the market! The boys, they love the fish counter (I do not but it affords many photo opportunities!) Me, I love the atmosphere, the coffee, the Suki teas, the thought of owning so much of the amazing local craft and artwork on display. A fine morning out indeed.
Yes, I do declare all Saturdays should start like this!
There was potential this week for me to get totally bogged down in the negative bits of life. You know, the child that's so sick you can't send them anywhere and have to take time off to look after them. And then the surfaces that are covered in a tacky layer of Calpol and Covonia and the tissues that are literally everywhere you look. Or the middle of the night nosebleeds that make you wonder if a 7 year old really has room for that amount of blood inside them! You could really mope about this kind of week for a long time with good reason, but this week good outweighed the bad. I had a really good think about my week as a whole to come up with 5 good things, because 5 things on Friday sounded like a fun blog post! Actually I could have waited for 6 on Saturday or 7 on Sunday but I thought I'd go with it while I remembered! So here they are.1 :: unexpected appreciation......from my Year 12 class! This one really turned my week around so it's only fair that it comes in at number one. I've worked at my school for 16 years and this was the first time I've ever had a thank you of any sort from a GCSE class. I've loved having this class both as my tutorial group and my English class, but it's hard to tell when they're sitting in front of you, looking blankly at a multi-modal text, whether they're learning anything or if you're making any sort of difference to their education. So I was equally shocked and touched when they interrupted my half-hearted attempt to start a final revision lesson with them to present me with cards and the cutest little collage of their Year 8 photos! Bless their teenage hearts - I shall miss their daily requests for nail varnish remover, their too cool for school scowls and their charm in equal measure.
I'm sure none of them will ever see this post but on the off chance any of them do, this really meant a lot to me - thanks 12JB :)
2 :: unexpected sunshine...
...saving my children from rickets, which I'm sure they were pretty close to experiencing given the shockingly poor spring we've had so far! So to sunshine, I say this..
sunshine also means Converse can officially be worn with no socks. Score!
3 :: giant pots of tea with friends...
...the kind of friends who don't judge you by the fact that when they arrived to pick you up, you were on the verge of losing it because you couldn't find the hole for the washing line in the grass! That sort of friend is in short supply, if you ask me. If you don't have one already I would strongly recommend hunting one down immediately because you just don't know when that sort of crisis will occur! I am fortunate to have several of this variety of friend - I keep them in many locations because the crisis could just as easily be a surprise tearfest on your way into school for no reason whatsoever, or simply needing to squeal about amazingly good news with someone who finds the news as worth squealing about as you do.
it goes without saying that for a pot of tea that size, chocolate banana bread makes the perfect companion
4 :: good music...
...particularly the kind your son purchased with a birthday voucher, thereby freeing up the £8 you might have had to spend on it yourself! I listened to this all day today. Quite loud. While walking in the sun. It was an excellent combination and I hope to recreate it soon! To those reading this who may be part of the F13 holiday experience, it's quite likely you will hear a lot of it - perhaps you might even fancy a copy of your own for preparation! To anyone else, it's really worth a listen which is why you can find a YouTube link at the bottom of this post to save you the hassle of looking for one yourself!
5 :: quality evenings in...
...especially the self-indulgent variety. Given the nature of this week - the sick child, nose bleeds and general lack of sleep - I chose to go down the route of period drama, specifically The Paradise. My sister had lent me the DVD at the weekend, but the question must be asked, how did a veteran of period dramas, such as myself, manage to miss this when it was actually on TV? I will never know. It was amazing! I can't say I was won over by Mr Moray initially, but by the time the last 10 minutes had arrived I was suitably swooning! I watched it all in a week. And I'd watch it all again next week! My other indulgences this week have included the always fabulous Grey's Anatomy and Nashville. Grey's needs no explaining, I mean what's not to love about catastrophes interspersed with Alex Karev? Nashville, on the other hand, is new to me. One of those aforementioned friends has sucked me into it. It must be my early childhood exposure to country music that has allowed me to tolerate the twangy accents and slide gee-tar thus far. Plus there's heartache and craziness at every cut and turn! I'm going to have to watch from the start when it comes out on DVD because I've leapt in right in the middle and there are questions to which I have no answers!
the good thing about this kind of evening is that it goes particularly well with wine and/or chocolate
And that concludes my 5 things on Friday. It's been a good exercise looking for the good in what started out as a less than stellar week. I might do it more often. I'd promise to blog about it more often but I think we all know my blogging promises count for nothing! I wonder, though, if my ramblings might inspire you to seek out the good in your own week? If you do, it'd be lovely to hear what you found if you fancied sharing. For now, though, I shall leave you with a video as promised.
Happy weekend xx
I for one can't quite believe it. But I'm most certainly ready for a new month. While I love January for cosy nights by the fire with a glass of wine and bracing walks along a wintery beach, I am almost desperate for brighter skies and the whiff of slightly warmer days ahead.We've had a very busy month for all manner of reasons. Between work commitments and family illness we've had to negotiate a fair deal of the unexpected. Which is all part of life. We don't welcome a lot of what is thrown at us, but deal with it we must. And so we have battened down the hatches, protecting ourselves against the onslaught amidst the comfort of family and friends - it's truly the best way to deal with both the good and bad of life!But it hasn't all been bad. There have been celebrations for a very special 7 year old. I hate to sound unoriginal but really, where has the time gone? How can our tiny boy be a big 7 all of a sudden? Unacceptable and amazing all at once. He had requested a lot of Minecraft specifics for his party (just don't ask - I still don't get it!) and the crafty mummy in me couldn't resist the challenge. And I came up trumps, if I say so myself. Actually, he said so, so it really doesn't matter who else said so!And in other good news there was snow for the first time in 2 years in these parts! Admittedly just for a couple of days, but we managed an epic snowball fight with friends round the corner right when small people should have been going to bed. But snow is snow and you have to enjoy it when it's here because goodness knows when it'll be back!This is a little of what our 2013 has looked like so far ....
Things are afoot here on my poor, neglected blog - I shall keep you posted. But for now I wish you a rather belated happy new year. I hope it's been a jolly January and that you're anticipating a fabulous February imminently!
...la la la la!I hope to be back more regularly in these festive weeks, but please don't hate me if I'm not. Last Christmas was such a washout for us we're determined to suck out every last drop of joy this year, and if that means living and not blogging then so be it. But I'm hopeful, so please pop back again in a few days!xx
rather a lot has happened. I wouldn't even know where to begin with words and pictures but I've felt the draw of this space for some time and thought it best to get back in the swing. Plus there's someone out there who might be feeding a tiny baby and checking to see if I've bothered my backside putting anything on here yet and I feel I've let her down often enough! (congrats, J x)I believe I left you at the Jubilee where I was slightly teary - I fear that set the tone for the whole summer. Excitement galore, amazing memories and and emotional overload on my tear ducts! It looked like this:
Any of these could really merit a post on its own, and some may be lucky enough to enjoy that privilege. But for now I just wanted to say hello, I'm back and despite the weather our summer was absolutely fab! For those of you who still bother to check this out, thank you! I shall endeavour to be more regular in my photos and ramblings henceforth!Edited to add: I've just read the post and realise I miss that chubster baby and her parentals something shocking - bring her back to the 'Dee so that I can squish those cheeks a bit more!!
Last weekend was a busy few days in the vast metropolis that is Bangor, Northern Ireland. What with Olympic torches and Diamond Jubilee events galore there was barely a minute to spare. And guess what? It turns out I'm a sucker for big events that require me to dig deep and get in the spirit. Who knew?
I know we are going to count it as a real privilege to have been able to see the Olympic torch being carried through our town at 7am on a cold June morning. And the whole event was made all the more memorable with the torch bearer being one of Priory Integrated's pupils - I'm going to hold my hands up now and admit to having made an utter idiot of myself yelling her name as she ran past, with maybe just a glimmer of a tear in my eye! But it couldn't be helped. This was a once in a lifetime experience, the kind I'd made Michael shun overtime to be part of. And you just know it's special when the big bus that comes in front of the torch declares "Moment to Shine"!
The rest of Sunday was spent dealing with one particularly over-tired 6 year old via the age old methods of computer games and sugar! But it was essential that he be in fighting form for the special Jubilee family bbq on Monday because Diamond Jubilees are another "once in a lifetime" event that you have to make the most of.
I'm not really a big follower of the royal family. Admittedly I sported spangly shoes and my mum wore a fancy hat at my sister's royal wedding party last year, but I don't think that makes me anything other than a right royal div! But there was something quite tangibly special about this past weekend. At the very least, 60 years in a high profile job is surely noteworthy. Particularly in a time when being a royal is more likely to come with scoffing than respect. And so I found myself getting a little carried away.While we had a small gathering planned for family and a few friends, a highlight for me was stumbling across a street party nearby. I spotted the bunting and balloons on my way home and had to stop for a nosey. Having my camera with me was a bonus, and so I snapped a few shots of their preparations before getting to chat with the organisers - the wonderful Jo and Laura. They had invited the entire immediate neighbourhood, including the residents of a Fold residential centre, for an afternoon tea complete with Best Hat competition. I was generously invited back in the afternoon to join the party and take a few photos of the guests in their finery, and it was quite simply the loveliest thing I have witnessed in a long time.
I love the lady in that photo above - look how happy she is and how much fun she's having in her awesome hat! I hope when I'm her age I'm enjoying life as much. To see such a mix of people, old and young, families, couples and singles enjoying a jolly good knees up, in a country where differences have historically so often set us apart, was simply a joy to behold (insert small sparkle of tear in the eye here again!) And that's what made the Jubilee so special for me. At this point I felt the need to come home and print off some pretty Diamond Jubilee bunting and string it in a rather pathetic fashion along our hedge (see above) before changing into my red and white stripy t-shirt and faux diamond bracelet! I then toasted Her Majesty with some wine in a spiffing Jubilee paper cup. I am nothing if not classy!
cheers on a job well done, Ma'am!
The rest of our Jubilee day was spent in the fine company of our families - well those who haven't fled for warmer climes - and our lovely next door neighbours, before watching the spectacle of the concert organised by Gary Barlow The Marvellous. I'm pretty sure that's his actual name. If it's not, it should be!
I love this photo Patrick took of our reflections in the garage window - such a creative little soul!
And so concluded our Jubolympic weekend. A friend of mine used that amazing word on Instagram and I feel that it entirely sums up our weekend. A weekend full of entering into the spirit of things, of looking forward while being thankful for the past, and more than anything a weekend that left me feeling hopeful. Because if that gigantic table of people is anything to go by, there is more good than bad in the world. And that, my friends, gives me hope. I can only hope that you also had a spiffing weekend full of one sort of spirit or another! Now in the spirit of joyful tears I will leave you with the video from the aforementioned Mr Barlow and the Commonwealth Band - tear shedding is optional!
I'm a big fan of Kelle Hampton and her blog. If you haven't read it before I strongly recommend getting yourself a large cup of tea/coffee/wine and plonking yourself down for a long read at her beautiful words and a look at her amazing photos of her girls. There's just so much to love about her blog. But one idea particularly struck me as a top notch beezer idea, and I really don't think she'd mind if I pinched it and shared it here!In this post she shared her ideas for a mini bucket list - things she hoped to achieve that week. Not just your average list, mind. No no no, this was to be a list of loveliness for all and sundry. And as a lover of both lists and loveliness, it seemed silly not to try it out for myself. And so I present to you my mini bucket list for this week.
:: send a pamper parcel to a friend I haven't seen for a while.:: find a tasty new salad recipe and give it a whirl.:: go outside and soak up the sun while it lasts.:: make time for catching up with a friend I usually see fleetingly at school drop off.:: indulge myself in a little creative time just on my ownio in my study.:: maybe order some lovely things to make something lovely for a teeny tiny little girl I haven't yet met but who I love sooo very much already.:: finally make smoothies with the boys.:: say 'yes' more often and 'no' a bit less (within reason, obviously!)
I'm going to write that list into my special book for lists and enjoy myself immensely as I work my way through it and tick each item off! I'm keeping it shortish this week - I'm all about small achievable goals at the moment - and I shall share how I get on next week sometime. And what about your bucket list? Is there something you've always been meaning to do that you might just do this week? How lovely it would be if you joined me on this week of wonderful. In fact, I double dare you to do it! And don't forget to let me know how you get on!For now, I shall leave you with a few more photos of our sunny weekend - it full on rocked!
I hope you've been making the most of the sunny days too!
...or so it would seem, I have big boys. Not small boys, despite what I might say in general conversation when asked if I have kids. I'm struggling to get my head around the fact that I have a 9 year old, but it's on the cards and the cards never lie. Never mind the pictures which are whispering that I have a very handsome 9 year old who is going to break many a heart (mostly mine I suspect) in the not too distant future!
9 seems like such a very big age. It's the last single digit age. It's harder to find acceptably cool cards for the birthday boy. It's an age where this particular 9 year old has very clear ideas about what is cool or not, especially when it comes to hair and fashion (short hair, not long and chinos - tan or red - just in case you were wondering!) It's most definitely an age where Daddy is King and Mummy just trundles around in the background making life happen as 9 year olds would wish it!
As all good parents should, we have done our best to instil an appreciation of that which is good, that is, products with fruit logos on them! Actually, that's not strictly true. The iPod touch has been requested time and again for a couple of years now and we've said no for a number of reasons. But I suppose, as with all things, there comes a time when there are fewer reasons not to do something than to do it, which is where we found ourselves at age 9. And so a new Apple product has joined the family! And boy has it ever been made to feel welcome!
And while part of me is inwardly freaking out at another source of media to be monitored on a daily basis, the wiser part of me knows that all is well when a new cricket bat is greeted with such enthusiasm!
And so the countdown to that double digit age has begun. In the interim I expect to encounter any or all of the following::: a hand that assumes the permanent shape of an iPod touch;:: much cricketing, especially now he's joined the local under 11 side;:: a lot of hair gel from the pound shop (it's the only way we could afford it!):: ongoing snuggles on the settee at the end of the day (this better feature or it's going to be a trickier year than anticipated!):: further bickering with the younger sibling;:: more lessons in disappointment as the love for Liverpool FC is unabated;:: magic tricks being fine tuned for anyone willing to participate;:: more independent fashion/hair/shoe choices;:: arguments over any of the above;:: to be further amazed by all that this boy does and by the fact that we actually made him!
On which note I shall finish. Except to say that we also made this one - hard to believe there's a genetic link, really!
