Juniors day.

Yesterday was juniors belated 16th activity, he chose paintballing.

After a few difficulties managing to book a mid week slot for 4x 15-16 yr old boys, we found a local site that we never knew existed. We tagged onto another party who had booked so the required player numbers were correct.

Although paintballing isn't my thing, the site was part of a working farm, so I got to look at cows, which I love and old farm machinery. I didn't get to use my new phone lens much, it was a bit muddy and I had to concentrate on staying upright! If I had known I would have took my wellies.

I wont bore you with all the details I will just leave you with some pictures

I am now off to pack, I am going to CORNWALL for the weekend

YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Holiday hump day.

Wednesday, hump day. 

Half way through my weeks annual leave  and today is the first day I feel really relaxed. I am having a lovely week.

Saturday night was a dinner date with one of my girlfriends. a little bit of crafting may have occurred but it was a fab night, and last night I had a cinema date with another of my girlfriends, my oldest friend. We went to her local cinema and watched ' The Girl on the train', wow, I loved it, kept me drawn in right until the end, I actually want to watch it again now, and read the book.

I have been pretty relaxed this week, not stressing about ' doing things', just because we are on holiday. Junior has decided its the right time to re design his room, hes has been ruthless, 16 years worth of books, films and 'stuff' has been sorted and discarded. 2 book shelves and a huge dresser has now been removed from his room. Bed and wardrobe has been moved, and it was given a blooming good vacuum!

Don't be fooled, he has a master plan, 

1 corner desk to be installed for his computer system, [the computer he made]

 A huge long work bench for his war hammer painting and scene making, please don't ask me I Know nothing about warhammer. except its damn expensive.

I have actually finished my green / purple shawl

currently blocking on the line, I made a pretty big error though, I decided against the fancy bead bind off and just bound off. I forgot to change needle size and the cast of edge is really tight, its curling up. I tried to unpick it but ended up making it tighter so have given up. Luckily its along and will wrap so I am hoping it won't show, I love it.

Have immediately cast on another little scarf/shawl, green again, using up stash yarn, but I am definitely in a green moded at present.

This looks like its going to be a quick easy tv knit.

Whilst rummaging found a book to read, although I have loads of books ready to read, couldn't quite find the right one until this morning 

looking forward to getting my nose into this later.

We have managed to get the hound out for a couple of walks

And I have played with my new little macro lens  on my phone camera, this is the lens I am most excited about.

Tomorrow I shall be taking Junior and his mates to a paint ball session!

I will be sitting this out but am hoping I may get chance to try out the fish eye lens on the camera.

Thoroughly enjoying my week, really don't want it to end.

And relax...

Yipee, its half term and I have a whole week off.

I really need this break, work was getting way too stressful last week, I was on the verge of quitting, luckily my brain reactivated and talked some sense into me, there is a reason I do this job, I have to keep that in mind for the next 2 -1/2 yrs, THEN I will quit! Can't blooming wait for that I can tell you.

Holidays started off with a lovely relaxing evening on Friday, Yesterday I decided to throw caution to the wind and go to Asda to do my weekly shop, I amazed myself, very restrained and came in on budget, no naughties were added to my trolley. I do find with food budgeting and shopping at places like Aldi/Lidl , I end up eating the same types of food, so I like to go to bigger stores just to swap it up abit. Asda actually do some really nice healthy stuff I can chuck in the freezer and cook quickly at Work in the microwave. far too cold for salads now!

Junior was in a PJ mood yesterday, first day of holidays and all that, so we had a baking afternoon, first up, a chocolate cake,

Pretty impressed with his cake baking skills, this cake is a monster, I haven't tucked into a slice yet, trying to be good, but I know at some point today I will take a slice with a nice cuppa, it is Sunday after all. Then it was home made pizza's for supper, I didn't partake as was off out to friends for dinner, yep, I know, out on a Saturday night, what ever next! and with a girlfriend !

Today its blooming freezing, I am going to chuck a beef stew into the slow cooker and attempt to get the hound out, hubs is still sleeping as hes on nights, the boys are still sleeping, because they are teenagers  and I have been up for hours! Hopefully when I get back someone might be awake!

WIP wednesday.

The upside to hubs working night shifts this week is I am getting a lot of knitting done!

I am so close to finishing this shawl now, and I have to say I can't wait to cast it of, the rows are just too long. Its all bunched up on the needle so I cant really see how big its going to be, but I love it.

St Aubins Bay pattern here 

It's a great pattern and I my be tempted to do another, but I still have 2 other projects to finish and could do with something small  to knit. The cast off on the pattern has beads knit in, I am going to miss them off as they will annoy me no end, not sure how to finish though, hoping to get the last few rows done tomorrow night while watching Bake off,  then will ponder what to do with it. 

Bring on the cold weather is all I can say !

Back to weekending.

Now the winter is heading our way, with shorter days and longer nights and dismal weather forecasts, the weekends are going to have to be rescued from the drudgery of household chores. I find it far to easy to slip into hibernation mode and spend my days off cleaning. I know sad, but true.

So this weekend past was the first to be weekended. After taking junior to look at the college, we stopped for a Big Mac, he thought it was great, and did a little non household shopping. 

Sunday we managed to get the hound out.. and the sun made an appearance too, what more could I ask for.

After a bracing but lovely walk we headed back home, hubs then surprised us by taking us all out for a Sunday Carvery, haven't had one of those in a while, and it made a nice little break from cooking on a Sunday.

I have read a little,got my spinning wheel out and span some yarn, not done that in a while ,knitted quite a few rows on my shawl, hoping to get that finished soon as I am getting pretty fed up with the long rows now, and generally just had a lovely time.

Unfortunately I now have to fit the household chores in in the week, but to be honest there's not much else to do this week as hubs is on night shifts.

Sunday Walking.

Finally managed to get time to blog, busy life continues.

Last weekend we did indeed manage to get the hound into the car, never ones to miss an opportunity we decided to head over to Leigh Woods, I love this place, its beautiful, if you like trees that is.
 we walked down through the wood to the River, then when we came out onto the river path we walked all the way along towards the Suspension bridge.
It was a glorious day, the tide was in so there were boats going up and down, we even got to see The Matthew sail past.
 It's a pretty step climb back to the top car park ,managed it with no slip sliding about and were home before the boys got up !

That's the hound, that black blob rolling around the ground in happiness!

Would definitely recommend this walk if you are in the area.

Just life.

Life continues as is, pretty much a set routine, getting used to hubs new shift pattern now, starting to feel myself settle into the rhythm. No 2 son is now getting the bus home from school, which is fab news for my working life! no more jiggling hours about, if hubs or I are about we pick him up, but he suggested it so I grabbed the offer and ran with it. No 1 son has been told to try and pass his driving test by April, which will completely free up mums taxi service.

The darned hound is still not choosing to walk locally which is a night mare for me as I love walking along the riverbank. We did manage to get him down into one of the fields this week, no 2 son came along and had to walk ahead , once the hound was down there  he loved it, trouble was couldn't get him down there again. I am struggling to get him into my car now as well, so some days hes not getting out till hubs gets home, which is ok now, but come dark nights hes going to be stuffed. Aldi had some car seat covers reduced this week so I snapped one up [ yep still budgeting !]

pic from Aldi

Going to try him on that later, he needs a good run out as hes getting stir crazy. One night this week he had 2 epileptic fits consecutively, which meant I had to give him the dreaded rectal diazepam, it was not that bad actually, relatively easy and he was so out of it he didn't notice, it did stop the fit, he was a bit woozy after but made a good recovery. Pretty scary though, I really did think he was going to die.

The firework season is coming up so in preparation we bought one of those scary noise CDs for dogs, it does not work for max, he doesn't even react when we turn the volume up, the real thing obviously has a different pitch to what is on the CD, he seems to know that this noise is fine ! humpf... I tell you one thing that dog keeps us on our toes!

Last Bongo trip of the year!

Thank you to Susan, she found my blogging mojo!!

Back in September we took our last overnight trip of the year in the bongo, mind you given the glorious weather we have today maybe it wont be the last.

We headed off to Glastonbury for the weekend, leaving the boys at home, and planning to meet our friends at an adults only campsite, don't get the wrong idea, its not that kind of site!

Oh my, the site was absolutely amazing, luxurious was not the world, if you are a camper/caravanner/camper-vanner then I would highly recommend The Old Oaks.  if you are not they do have 'pods' to rent.

see that patch of trees, hidden in there is the campsite. 

The site was about 1.5 miles to Glastonbury and well worth the walk, the views were amazing

It was a bit of a steep climb, but once  you get down to the village there are lots of places to stop for a beverage and refresh yourself.

We mooched about the shops and just wandered around taking it all in

I love Glastonbury, its such a quirky place and really appeals to me. 

We have been there a few times so didn't  go up the tour or visit the well, just wandered around the village,  we tried a few pints of cider,and  bought too much 'stuff' so took a taxi back to the site !

Our friends have a fab camper

and cooked both nights as well as providing us with breakfast, [I do have camper envy]

we sat and talked and watched the moon

whilst partaking of a wine or 2.

Early mornings were spent watching the sun rise

listening to the wild life wake.

It was blooming marvelous!