Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Cherubisms

Cherub asked Tevye if she could do some random thing ...

Tevye: We don't normally do that.

Cherub (hopefully): Perhaps we could do it occasionally?

-----------------------

Whenever we go to the local country park, Cherub insists we all have to play hopscotch - her rules - on the stone sundial. Last time we went she watched Tevye with a critical eye. Her verdict ...

"Daddy, you are WUBBISH at hopscotch!"

(Unfortunately for him, being rubbish didn't disqualify him from having to play.)

-----------------------

Cherub has decided (for today, at least) on her future career. She wants to be a "photoglipher".

Monday, August 30, 2010

Simple Woman's Daybook: 30th August

Outside My Window ... a bright, sunny morning. The first for a while. Summer's last fling?

I am thinking ... of the benefits of routine, and what our new term time routine will look like.

From the learning rooms ... Angel and Star go back to school on Thursday, and Cherub starts next Monday.

I am thankful ... that the three girls get on so well together. They have their moments, but not too many. Even after six weeks of summer holiday, the squabbling is still only occasional and low key.

From the kitchen ... chaos. All semblance of menu planning has disappeared.

I am wearing ... black and white pyjamas, blue dressing gown.

I am creating ... a Travelling Woman shawl in a soft baby blue for my mother to wear in bed (she likes to sit up in bed reading). I'm going to knit bedsocks (her request) to match. Finished the Horcrux socks for Angel yesterday.

I am going ... to be super-organised this term. I wish.

I am reading ... just finished Bluestockings: The Remarkable Story of the First Women to Fight for an Education by Jane Robinson. Fascinating.

I am hoping ... for a happy future for Tevye's nephew and his new fiancee.

I am hearing ... Star and Cherub working on an art project together, and Come Dine With Me on the TV that Angel is watching.

Around the house ... rising tide of messiness.

One of my favorite things ... being busy, and having the energy to be busy.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week ... Today - an engagement party for Tevye's nephew this afternoon, then Angel is going to a Sweet Sixteen party tonight; Tuesday - record office; Wednesday - checking everything is ready for school on Thursday, then a back-to-school girlie night out with K, J and A-Next Door (banquet night at an Indian restaurant - starter, main, sidedish, rice or naan and a drink for £8); Thursday - back to school for Angel and Star, playdate for Cherub; Friday - taking Cherub to Legoland as a starting school treat; Saturday - gymnastics coaching course for Angel; Sunday - day of rest!

A Picture Thought I Am Sharing ... 

 

Find instructions and links to other daybooks at The Simple Woman

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Friday 5: Favourite Items in My Wardrobe

1. Floral summer dress from Marks and Spencer.  Has a better shape when it is worn that it looks here!


2. Deep cerise cardigan from DKNY. I am not a designer label person, but impulse bought this on a trip to an outlet shopping village recently because I loved the colour (deeper than it looks here) and it was so comfortable. It was also heavily discounted! I think I'm going to get a lot of wear out of it.



3. Monochrome floral tunic from Yours. I've worn this a lot this summer with black linen trousers, and it also works with black jeans and a cardigan so I can keep wearing it as the weather gets cooler. I have another, similar tunic in navy with a bold blue and pink floral pattern, and I dithered over which one to put here as I like them equally - in the end I went for this black one as the photo came out better!



4. Purple casual jacket from Next. Lightweight cotton, but with a silky look. Purple is my current favourite colour. Earlier this month Star challenged me not to wear anything purple for a week. I did it, but it was tough!


5. Black shoe-boots from Marks and Spencer. Waiting for the weather to get colder so I can wear these.


Friday, August 27, 2010

7 Quick Takes: 27th August


1. Rain, rain, rain ... it has been raining all week, though the temperature has been hanging in at the low seventies, which makes it feel muggy. The nights are getting cooler, and a cool wind on Tuesday made it feel positively autumnal. I'm not ready for summer to be over, particularly as August really hasn't felt summery. Autumn always used to be my favourite season - I love breezy autumn days with a slight chill in the air - but as I get older I find the long winter nights more and more oppressive, and the thought that winter is just round the corner has taken the glow away from autumn. These days I'm more of a summer person, but British summers are rather elusive. At least this year we did have a few hot, sunny weeks in June and July.
 
2. School holidays finish next week. This year they have positively flown past, and it has been lovely having all three girls home. The downside of school holidays, though, is that all routines fall apart. Housework, laundry and menu planning all become hit and miss (with more miss than hit!), and sleep patterns are all over the place. The older girls go to bed and get up later and later, while Cherub sticks to her normal routine of being in bed by eight and up before seven. My nights seem to get squeezed at both ends, but I compensate by lazing around for half the morning in pyjamas. Poor old Tevye, on the other hand, is still in his normal work routine, which has become more and more disconnected from everyone else's. Much as I will miss the girls when they go back to school, I have to admit we could do with getting back into term time routines.

3. My checklist of plans for August? Total fail. I'm not going to embarrass myself by checking off what I have and haven't done. At least I did well on the "places to go" section. I have unexpectedly found myself with a pile of overflow work from Tevye's office, which added to my day a week at the record office, and taking girls here, there and everywhere, has left us with far less chill out time at home than I anticipated.

4.Yesterday's trip was to London, to take Star (my would-be fashion designer) to this workshop at the Fashion and Textile Museum. Cherub and I had a (brief!) look at the museum's current exhibition: Horrockses fashions from the 40s and 50s. This blog post has lots of pictures, including one of a white / yellow / floral housecoat. I was kind of surprised by the housecoats on display, as I had imagined them to be much more utilitarian - a kind of coverall to use while doing housework. Not so ... these were designed for lounging around looking elegant. Apparently it was entirely acceptable to wear a housecoat while receiving visitors.

5. Poor Cherub was dragged along to the workshop with us, without any Cherub-style activities to compensate. Normally I would have taken the girls somewhere that would be fun for both of them in the morning, but a combination of inertia and abysmal weather meant we didn't bother with anything except the workshop. No matter, I had things on hand to keep Cherub happily entertained in the museum cafe while Star did her thing. Or so I thought. Cherub loves these Usborne Things To Do write on / wipe off cards, so I took them along. Got them out to use ... no pen! On to Plan B, which was to let her play on my iPod Touch. Her favourite game had got deleted. Result, one very sulky Cherub. Fortunately she was eventually mollified enough to settle for crayons and a colouring book.

6. Cherub is getting increasingly independent with things like dressing herself and taking herself to the toilet. I forgot that this can have its downside in four year olds. Angel discovered a blocked toilet ... turned out Cherub thought using half a roll of toilet paper in one go was a good plan!

7. Eek! Yet another morning is running away with me. I am taking Cherub to her friend's for a playdate in an hour, and still have to eat breakfast, shower, and reboot the laundry. At least Cherub has got herself dressed and is ready to go!

Visit Conversion Diary  for more quick takes 
 
 

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Random Dozen: August 25th


1. What is your favorite Mexican dish?

Ooh! I love Mexican! Maybe fajitas?

2. When you were a kid, did you get started on your homework right away after school, or did you procrastinate?
Um. Homework. I'm afraid school and I were not compatible, so I either procrastinated or ignored it completely.

3. What is your favorite store for home furnishings?
On my budget, IKEA. In my dreams, John Lewis.

4. When you were young, did you like school lunches?
I started school in the days when children were expected to eat whatever was put in front of them. Liking or disliking didn't come into it. I remember making lumpy mashed potato more palatable by mashing up everything else on the plate and stirring it all into a gravy flavoured mush. There were aspects of school dinners (never called lunch!) that I liked ... namely, bread and butter pudding, as much of it as I could get.

5. Is religion a crutch?
Here we are, wounded little people, limping through life as best we can, and God gives us something stout and secure to lean on. I guess that makes religion a crutch, though I never think of it in those terms.

6. In your region, what is the "big" (most popular in the community or state) high school sport?
High school sport isn't a big deal in the UK in the way I imagine it to be in America, but the most popular sport - at high school or any other level - is football (soccer). Some girls play soccer, but not so many. The most popular school sports for girls are hockey and netball.

7. Do you consider yourself rich?
Yes. Both in material terms and in the people around me. Not rich in the millionaire sense, but we have everything we need.

8. Which of these would you have the best chance for success in administering:
A) CPR
B) Heimlich Maneuver
C) Changing a flat tire

I think at a pinch I could do all of them, but changing a tyre is the only one I have ever had to put into practice.

9. Which dance would you prefer to learn & why:
A) Salsa
B) Hip Hop
C) Waltz
D) Swing

I am a complete non-dancer, but swing looks as though it would be fun. Hip hop can be great to watch, but I think I'd need to be a decade or three younger to learn it!

10. What's the worst news you've ever delivered to someone?

Mercifully I don't think I've ever had to deliver any particularly bad news.

11. Name something you learned in college that had nothing to do with classes or academics.
I went to university as an adult, in my late twenties, so it wasn't a traditional learning curve. College for me really was only the classes and academics.

12. New variation on an old question: If there's a song in your head that just won't get out, what is your favorite (or most repeated) line in that song? 
I don't hear lyrics, and often don't even know the title line of a song. I only ever get tunes in my head.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

How Did That Happen?

One of our favourites at Wicksteed Park is the race track with these little cars, but the leg length needed to reach the accelerator means they have a height requirement of 160cm (5 feet 3 inches). When we last visited two years ago, Angel - then thirteen and a half - was not quite tall enough to drive on her own.


Yesterday, Star - just turned twelve - measured in comfortably at the required height. How did that happen? I knew she had been growing, but had no idea she had grown that much! Angel has just overtaken me in height (5 feet 5 inches to my 5 feet 4 1/2), but it looks as though Star is on track to beat us both before too long.

Cherub, on the other hand, is still a petite little person, measuring in at 95cm (3 feet 1 1/2 inches) - which would be comfortably average if she only was a year younger! According to the growth chart in her baby book she is on course to just about top 5 feet as an adult.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Simple Woman's Daybook: 23rd August

Outside My Window ... grey skies, but less leaden than they were an hour ago. Very heavy rain last night.

I am thinking ... that I am finally back on track with a Monday meme on Monday!

From the learning rooms ... I think everyone has everything they need ready for when school starts back.

I am thankful ... that there is no serious cause for the sudden pain and stiffness that hit my mother's second knee over the weekend (she is still waiting for her other knee to be replaced after her op was cancelled in July). An x-ray didn't show up anything untoward, so she has probably just strained it.

From the kitchen ... nothing today. I'm heading out soon to buy bits and pieces for a picnic lunch, then tonight we are eating at a carvery on the way home from our trip out.

I am wearing ... pink pjs.

I am creating ...  Horcrux socks for Angel. Cherub's Little Summer Dress is finished.

I am going ... on a family day out to Wicksteed Park The weather forecast is not great, but it is the only day we can all make it, so we will just have to take macs and umbrellas and hope for the best.

I am reading ... Bluestockings, about the first Englishwomen to study at university.

I am hoping ... we don't get rained on too much today.

I am hearing ... Cherub colouring, with Tevye as assistant; there seems to be some dispute over which crayon is orange.

Around the house ... housework backlog mounting.

One of my favorite things ... the randomness of four year old conversation.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week ... today - Wicksteed Park and carvery dinner; Tuesday - volunteering at the record office; Wednesday - pick-your-own farm (maybe? finally!), going out for a meal in the evening with Tevye to celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary; Thursday - taking Star to London to this workshop; Friday - play date for Cherub; no plans yet for the weekend.

A Picture Thought I Am Sharing ... my skew socks. Waiting for the weather to get cool enough to wear them.
 



Find instructions and links to other daybooks at The Simple Woman


Friday, August 20, 2010

Garden Wildlife

I moved Cherub's paddling pool and discovered the ants had built a nest underneath. There were hundreds (or thousands!) of eggs - by the time I thought to get the camera the ants had already hidden a good proportion of them.


Here are some ants busily carrying eggs down a hole in the bottom left corner of the picture.


Cuter and more furry than the ants were our little visitors from playgroup, who were playing hard to get in their tunnel on the one occasion I remembered the camera.


Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Simple Woman's Daybook: 18th August

Outside My Window ... a mix of blue sky and white cloud. A definite autumn chill creeping into the nights now.

I am thinking ... that if I keep on at this rate (Friday meme on Saturday, Monday meme on Wednesday ... ) I shall end up a full week behind and catch up with myself. Sort of. My excuse is that I have been tied up doing some overflow work for Tevye's office, where they are crazy busy.

From the learning rooms ... if I don't get some successful school shopping done with Angel, she will be going back to school barefoot and with trousers in rags.

I am thankful ... for summer with my gorgeous girls.

From the kitchen ... chicken in mushroom sauce tonight, I think.

I am wearing ... black and grey pjs and a blue dressing gown. No rush to get showered and dressed as it is still holiday time.

I am creating ... I have been whizzing through this Little Summer Dress for Cherub (just embroidered daisies and sewing in of ends to go), and still have some Horcrux socks on the go for Angel. Next priority is some bedsocks for my Mum's birthday next month, and I'm thinking of adding a matching shawl for Christmas.

I am going ... to Spain! We booked a holiday for next August, taking advantage of a free child offer for Cherub while we could. I have never been to Spain, and Tevye went to Majorca about 30 years ago, but has never been to the mainland. We will be staying by the beach on the Costa Dorada, between Tarragona and Salou. Near enough for a day trip to Barcelona, which is a city I have longed to visit since seeing it through Lissa's eyes a couple of years ago.

I am reading ... local history. A book of recollections of childhood and schooldays in the early 20th century.

I am hoping ... Apple can work some magic on my iMac tomorrow.

I am hearing ... Cherub complaining that neither of the big girls are up, and she needs one of them to be her ballet teacher!

Around the house ... stuff. I haven't manage to get rid of much this month. Must. Do. Better.

One of my favorite things ... lazy summer mornings.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week ... Monday - took Tevye to the hospital for a routine eye appointment (they give him blurry drops, so he can't drive himself home); Tuesday - record office; Wednesday - Star is planning a camp out with friends (can I remember how to put up the tent?); Thursday - playdate for Cherub in the morning, school shopping trip with Angel in the afternoon, combined with taking the iMac to the Apple store; Friday - taking Star and Cherub to the Science Museum in London; Saturday - free?; Sunday - substitute organist again (must not forget!)

A Picture Thought I Am Sharing ... more Cherub Art - Hello Kitty, on her birthday, with a chocolate caterpillar birthday cake (just like Cherub's!)
 

Find instructions and links to other daybooks at The Simple Woman




Saturday, August 14, 2010

Friday 5: Christmas Wish List

Yes, I know it isn't Friday, and it is only August ... but as someone who likes to be finished shopping for Christmas by the end of November (crazy band schedule in December, and crazy dance show schedule to add to it this year), and who has a birthday between now and then, and often has bright ideas that disappear out of my head the instant somebody asks if there is anything I would like for an upcoming gift occasionI was inspired to put together a Christmas-cum-birthday wish list when I spotted this on Pamela's blog.

1. iPad (iWish!)


2. KnitPro Interchangeable Needles 
But which to choose ... pretty symphonie wooden tips or metal ones?


 3. Cath Kidston Floral Tiny Umbrella
Confession: I bought this today and gave it to Tevye to put away from my birthday!


4. Wii Fit
Because I'm not.


5. Soap and Glory Toiletries
Highly recommended by Angel

7 Quick Takes


1. I'm slightly late with my quick takes this week as yesterday was Star's birthday. Twelve years old! I remember Angel at twelve being a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand this was the year in which she began to function much more on a young adult level, but also the year of "the look" - a defiant, know-it-all glare that seems to be common among twelve-year-old girls. I wonder what twelve will have in store for Star? We went out for pizza yesterday to celebrate, today we are going on a mother-daughter shopping trip to spend her birthday money, and next week she is having a camp out in the garden with friends.
 
2. I am very much enjoying Cherub at four. In this family three has been a much harder age than four, as it was when the girls got most frustrated by the failure of their logic and capabilities to match up to what they wanted to do.  At four, their ambitions and abilities seem to get back into balance, the frustration level goes way down, and they are much calmer. Ha! Having said that, Cherub has just got upset and frustrated because I couldn't read what she had written on a pretend birthday invitation and she couldn't remember what it was supposed to say!

3. To dye or not to dye? Hair, that is. More grey hairs are creeping in now that I am hitting fifty, and (for now at least)  I've settled on colouring my hair to cover them up. As an older mother, I don't want to look too much like Cherub's grandmother, and I've always wished my hair had more red in it. I'm also taking advantage of having a personal hairdresser on hand. J-next-door (age 15) is taking a hairdressing course at school, works as a Saturday girl for a hairdresser, and is already very competent at colouring, blow drying and so on (she hasn't got to cutting and styling yet, unfortunately!). I now get what looks and feels like professional hair colouring at home, for a fraction of the price I would have to pay in a salon.

4. Isn't it funny how some children know from a young age exactly what career they want. J-next-door has wanted to be a hairdresser since she was younger than Cherub and has never wavered from that. Star has wanted to be a fashion designer for a while (my child? how on earth did that happen?) and has already planned out exactly what courses she wants to take at school and college. Whether or not she will stick to it, who knows, but certainly for now she is very sure that is what she wants to do. Angel, on the other hand, hasn't a clue!

5. Two dancing firsts this week. Cherub got her very first pair of ballet shoes, and Star got her first pair of pointe shoes. We are coming up to a big dancing term, as all three girls will be dancing in their dance school show at Christmas. As they will be performing in either 12 or 13 dances between them, organising costumes is going to be a challenge. Another biggie is that their dance school is moving premises, hopefully before the term starts in September. No holes in the roof. No buckets to catch the rain. No puddles. Luxury!

6. Isn't a certain amount of boredom supposed to be good for children, inspiring them to be more find more creative things to do with their time? Star was bored one morning last week, and ended up teaching herself to spell "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious". I'm not sure whether that proves or disproves the rule!

7. The summer holidays are whizzing past too fast. Someone please stop the clock.


Visit Betty Beguiles for more quick takes (she is standing in for Conversion Diary this week)

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Random Dozen: August 11th



The Random Dozen is back, so here goes with some random summery-ness:
 
1. When was the last time you laughed until you cried?  
Last Saturday, when I went shopping with Angel and decided to try on a truly hideous outsized plastic ring (why? what possessed me?) and got it stuck. Angel didn't know whether to laugh or pretend she was nothing to do with the embarrassing woman tugging at her finger. I laughed until I cried. And tugged until my eyes watered. We eventually managed to get it off with soap Angel had in her bag.
 
2. If you found $10 today, what would you do with it?
Find a bank and change it into pounds.
 
3. Do you volunteer anywhere?
Since last week, at the county record office for one day a week. I've also been teaching a First Communion class at Church for the last two years, and will carry on with that next year.

4. What is your favorite summertime veggie or fruit, and how do you eat it?
Cherries. Raspberries. Strawberries. Watermelon. You mean I have to pick just one? Can't be done!
 
5. Is your social sphere (circle of friends) small, medium or large? 
Gosh, I haven't a clue! How many friends and social acquaintances counts as small, medium or large? I would guess medium.
 
6. When was the last time you attended a family or school reunion? How did that go?
I've never been to a school reunion, and neither of us have enough family members to have a real "family reunion". Does it count that we met up with Tevye's sister and her family for a BBQ last Sunday? Now that her three children are all adults it is rare for all of us to get together. On Sunday we had the full set, including Tevye's eldest nephew's new fiancee.

7. When you're feeling blue, what is the best way someone can cheer you up?
Chocolate.
 
8. Have you taken a vacation this summer?
Yes. A week in Cornwall at the end of July.
 
9. What is the most unnecessary item you carry with you all the time?
Probably odd store cards that have accumulated in my purse and never get used.

10. What is the best summer flick you have seen so far?
Twilight Eclipse, which is the only thing I've seen this summer, so both the best and the worst.
 
11. Describe a perfect summer day.
Sunny, high 70s, with just the occasional fluffy white cloud and a slight breeze. Spent partly on a sandy beach , and partly sitting in the shade with a good book drinking Pimms and lemonade.
 
12. Please a share a favorite photo from the summer so far!
 
 
For more Random Dozens, visit  2nd Cup of Coffee.

Monday, August 09, 2010

Simple Woman's Daybook: 9th August

Outside My Window ... a bright August morning. A mix of sunshine and cloud forecast for the week, but not much rain.

I am thinking ... about our excess of stuff, and what to get rid of.

From the learning rooms ... only three and a half weeks of summer holidays left, and it seems they only just started!

I am thankful ... there was nothing major wrong with the car after the fault warning light came on last week. A sensor on the exhaust system had broken and needed replacing.

From the kitchen ... I need to do a menu plan for the week. Maybe orange chicken with rice tonight, as that is a favourite. Hoping to do some baking this afternoon. Maybe brownies (using Ghirardelli's brownie mix from Costco) and gold digger buns.

I am wearing ... pink pyjamas and a blue dressing gown. Same as last week - the mornings are definitely getting cooler.

I am creating ... Horcrux socks with a frilly top for Angel. I finished my skew socks yesterday (will post a picture once I've taken one). Next on my list is a pink dress for Cherub using bamboo yarn. I was knitting a cardigan for her with it, but decided I wasn't keen on the pattern.

I am going ... to the optician's for an eye test, to the supermarket, to the library, and to the yarn shop to get an extra ball or two of the pink bamboo yarn (hoping they have some left, as it is being withdrawn).

I am reading ... Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud. Still. I'm afraid being back home with the computer is distracting me from reading, and this one hasn't grabbed me as much as the previous two books in the trilogy. Yet.

I am hoping ... to get to the Apple Store soon so I can have the original software reinstalled on the  iMac. It is now well and truly scrambled. It still connects to the internet and will run Firefox, but virtually nothing else will work. Can't see it happening this week, though.

I am hearing ... Zing Zillas on TV, a music programme for young children that introduces them to different styles and instruments. Some pretty high profile performers take part - Julian Lloyd Webber (cello), James Galway (flute) and Evelyn Glennie (percussion) are the ones I have noticed.

Around the house ... needs housework doing. I hate cleaning. Cooking, shopping, laundry, finances - all those I can keep up with, but cleaning? Ugh.

One of my favorite things ... Marmite flavoured crisps. The only problem is that one bag is not enough, and two bags leaves a little too much aftertaste. They should make the bags larger - one and a half time the normal bag size would be perfect.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week ... Today - errands; Tomorrow - volunteering at the record office; Wednesday or Thursday - pick your own farm (we went to the zoo last week instead, as there was no soft fruit ready for picking); Friday - Star's birthday; Saturday - shopping trip with Star; Sunday - playing the organ at Church as the regular organist is away.

A Picture Thought I Am Sharing ...


Find instructions and links to other daybooks at The Simple Woman

Friday, August 06, 2010

7 Quick Takes: 6th August 2010

 

1. I started my archive work experience on Tuesday. After a guided tour behind the scenes (strong rooms full of stuff that had my historian's instincts kicking in with an urge to dive in and investigate) I was set to work entering 19th century tithe apportionments into a database (a similar project to this one in Devon). I'll be doing this for a while as there is a lot of data to enter. It is a routine job, but a lot of historical research is painstaking collection and transcription of data, and I've done enough of it to know I am perfectly content tucked up in a record office with a laptop, a map, and lists to transcribe.
 
2. During my guided tour I learned a bit about storing archives. Obvious once it is pointed out, but archives are always in the basement. They are heavy. Very, very heavy. Even in the basement, the concrete floor has cracks. Also, the biggest risk to records is damp. Once damp gets in, mould soon follows, so the humidity has to be carefully monitored.

3. Ever thought of computers in religious terms? I can't say I have, but according to this article on The Apple Blog, Apple is the Catholic computer experience, whereas PCs are Protestant. As a convert to both Catholicism and Macs, I could agree with that!

4. I discovered this week that conkers (the fruit of horse chestnut trees) are supposed to keep away spiders. While I am not in the least bothered by spiders - I positively like them! - I did wonder if scattering conkers around would reduce the number of times I have to respond to yells of "Mum! Spider!!!!! Come and get rid of it!". Apparently not. Last year the Royal Society of Chemistry offered an award to anyone who could prove or disprove the old wives' tale. It was won by a group of school children who conducted experiments that proved conclusively that spiders are not bothered in the least by conkers.

5. We are pet-sitting two guinea pigs from Cherub's playgroup for two weeks, much to the girls' delight. I'm afraid these days Tevye and I are determinedly against getting a pet, so this is a good compromise. We used to have cats, but one died when Angel and Star were quite young, and the second around the time I discovered I was pregnant with Cherub, which just wasn't a good time to get another. Now we find feeding and cleaning up after five humans enough of a stretch not to want to add any animals to the mix. I also suffer from animal allergies, which makes me less enthusiastic than I might otherwise be.

6. Most animals set me sneezing if I handle them, though oddly I'm usually fine with cats, so long as they aren't too fluffy and furry. On the other hand, horses are awful. I posted on Facebook about our trip to the zoo yesterday, and an old friend reminded me of a school trip to the same zoo when I got too close to the horses and didn't have any anti-histamines with me. Yuck!

7. Cherub was very anxious to ride on what she calls a "decker-double" bus at the zoo. How could I refuse such a charmingly phrased request!


  Read more quick takes at Conversion Diary

Thursday, August 05, 2010

At The Zoo

Another wordless post ... pictures from our trip to the zoo today.








Wednesday, August 04, 2010

And What We Did There








 


Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Wordless Cornwall

... because the pictures say it all.