Sun (mon) day Snapshots

Last week felt like a month. Not on a bad way it just felt like we were rushing all over the place a bit. We headed to London mid week as Rupert was working there. I dropped the boys with their London grandparents and took the kiddy free opportunity to fit in a couple of chores, some light shopping, some not so light eating and dinner with some old school friends who I sadly rarely see but miss hugely. While all this was fabulous the most exciting news is my sister had a baby and I got to see her on her week birthday and geeeeeez what a beauty! The perfect addition to our family - welcome Maud. Of course, like always I was too engrossed in the Big Smoke to take any pictures so these are home days we had either side - playing, very wet garden time, snoozing and eating - hardly rock and roll but if you fancy a peek......

Tunnelling

his chums

having a chat with his hanging giraffe

tree climbing

blue skies - RARE!

Sunday slugs

den

Sunday carving

taking time out of Gymboree

this guy

Thats my name dont wear it out

nap time

greens and reds

ROAR

Flight 516 will be delayed in take off due as there are 3 elephants and a giraffe on the runway

given up bread for now (urgh) so trying out lots of new lunchtime salads - planning a recipe post later in the week. This is a goody - roasted veg, chickpeas, rocket and pine nuts with a pesto dressing

higher!

very soggy leek pulling

piercing

thumb sucker

Bedside Browsing

While I aspire to climbing into bed and settling into 5 or maybe even 10 chapters of War and Peace the reality is I manage about 5 to 10 minutes maximum of reading time before the zzzzzzz's take over. This leaves little room for novels as I only ever get to read 1/2 a chapter at a time which means by the time I get to chapter 6 I have totally forgotten how the book began! So.... I use my time to browse pretty pages. Books you can dip in and out of with precious few words, the odd autobiography that you can take an anacdote at a time or a comic strip you can read in snippets. These are those I have on my bedside table at the moment gathering fodder for the inspiration bank - what do you have on your bedside table? (and I mean books!)

The Willowdale Handlecar by Edward Gorey

A Story Lately Told by Anjelica Huston

Egon Schiele

Weeds and Wild Flowers by ALice Oswald

The Last Resort by Martin Parr

Variety - Nan Goldin

Lucian Freud Portraits

Moomin - the complete comic strip

Kick ass Kicks

When I was 14 my mum and I went shopping before the school year started and after we had ticked off the airtex shirts, white socks and other DULL items we turned to footwear and THERE. THEY. WERE. Black Nike Air Max with green and purple ticks. The exact same pair the coolest girl in school slouched about in and she was in the Upper Sixth. I begged my mum with the usual, "they will be perfect for hockey" nonsense but the sales assistant sucked her teeth and told us there was only 1 pair left - it was a size 36. HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!! My size. It was fate. I LOVED those trainers for the next 4 years until they had one rip too many and fell apart. I am not lying or exaggerating when I say I think of them often, sad though it is. Nowadays I do not wear trainers. My cupboard is all boots, flip flops, sandals and ugg styley things but I am feeling the urge to revisit the humble runner and try to revive those Nike's who were loved and not forgotten. These have all caught my eye:

1. Bolivar £55 - Le Coq Sportif 2. Nike Air Vortex £67 - Office 3. Oniksuka Tiger Colorado Eighty Five £39 Asos 4. Hummel Stadion £43 Rubber Sole 5. 420 £65 - New Balance

Sunday Snapshots

This week = WET. Rain, rain, rain and more rain. However, we are not flooded like many poor folk so I am counting our blessings. We did get out and about a bit though - a few local walks and a couple of indoor activities the highlight of which was a trip to our local zoo Tropiquaria in Watchet. To be honest, it is the oddest place in the world. Out of season there is never anyone there and its located in an old BBC Radio bunker that is beyond gloomy and the collection of animals is, well..... eclectic! However, all this said the boys and I love it and go A LOT (season ticket holders!) This week the poor ostriches, limas and gibbons were flooded so we stuck to the indoor tropical zone and it was amazing - Maurice zoned out with the tropical fish and Lenny hung out with the reptiles even getting to stroke a real life dragon! He has talked of little else since. This week also saw a little New Year lasagne and fizz party although I had too much fizz and forgot the camera, 8 loads of post Christmas washing, coffee and cake in the beautiful Dunster and left over turkey for most of our meals! Next week normality resumes.....

WOW

Brave Ru

peekaboo

broom broom

warming hot coffee

Ru got beaten by a 2 year old who has no idea what he was playing..... no joke.

grin

what'choo lookin' at?

training

new pals

chillin'

devil expression from a boy making A LOT of noise

who's a pretty boy, who's a pretty boy

do you think they're hungry?

a real dragon

somewhere over the.....

this boy loves to scratch his face - a new cut every day - social services will be round soon!

red sky in the morning shepherds....... oh no, not again......

sssssssssnake

loves slitherers

handsome

soup picnic

stroke

getting so big

turkey, veggie, macaroni broth. Everyone in this family loves this soup. It is super cheap and uses up any left over veg/ chicken and the pasta means no need for bread. I will upload the recipe although its pretty obvious!! A great picnic lunch.

Visiting the brassicas to see how they faired in the storm

watching TV with Moomin

Happy New Year!

This holiday seems to have gone on for ages and ages. Christmas is the only holiday we take at home - minimum hassle with no travel abroad and lots of long lunches, walks and general hanging out as a family at home. It has been really lovely. However, I am now ready to return to normal! This may sounds weird but I am a creature of habit and love a routine and schedule and I think Lenny and Maurice do to - so come Monday it's all about settling into 2014 and starting as we mean to go on. I know a resolution post is predictable to say the least but I want to do one for my own benefit really so I can look back in March and see where I have veered off track! So these are they:

1. Set realistic goals that are achievable. I seem to be falling short of quite a few markers I had previously set for myself. This may sound lazy but I blame a lack of time. I know people say you can make time but at the end of the day my kids come first and everything else has to fit in after them. So I'm going to be realistic. I am not going to be able to write a blog post everyday or go to the gym for 3 hours 4 times a week or read the whole of Dickens. It's is just not possible so I will do the best I can and be happy I have achieved at all!

2. Live a healthier lifestyle. Cut down on the wine, spend a few more minutes on the treadmill and give new foods a try. I often poo poo diets. The words 'gluten free' 'dairy free' 'sugar free' fill me with horror - but maybe I am being short sighted. Perhaps I will give almond milk a try or replace my brownie with a date and apricot bar and see how I get on. However given my resolution 1. I will allow myself the odd hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows. C'mon! A gals gotta live!

3. Simplify. This house is bursting at the seams with clothes/ toys/ shoes/ handbags/ garden tools - you name it we probably have it and it HAS to go. Like many others I am sure, our bank balance is looking decidedly skinny - in truth, skeletal - so ebay it is. I am going to make some pennies and simplify in one fell swoop. Win, win.

4. Remember that we are in charge of our own lives. I love my life. I know it sounds rather boastful and un British to say this but I do. However, every now and then I get far too hung up on what other people are doing, where they are going, how they are doing things and most importantly what they think of what/ where/ how I am living. I need to remember to back myself and try not to self doubt too much. I am trying to create a happy home - I am sure I am screwing a million things up - but I am trying.

(Pic: film still from The Edge of Love)