So, even my dodgy maths makes it less than 10 weeks until the end of the year. I will have managed to take- and post regular updates as evidence- a picture every single day. And I thought I had no willpower. Sunday: we woke in North Holland to a lot of fog. The house we were staying in was tucked away surrounded by trees and wildlife and it was enough for us all just to be. So that's all we did, save for a trip in to Schagen for hot chocolates … [Read more...]
Remembrance Day Poppy Button picture
I know that Halloween is all that anyone is really focused on at the moment, but another event looms on the horizon that is much more significant, for me at least. I refer to 11 November 2012. Remembrance Day. The chance to take a moment to think and thank. I think of those whose lives have been directly affected by: the people who have to carry on with their loves whilst war rages around them, who have to give up their homes, lose their … [Read more...]
When shingles came to stay: what happens when a child gets shingles
As I was getting LBG ready for bed one night last week, I noticed a red spot on her chest. Nothing stood out about it particularly, and yet something made me make a mental note to keep an eye on it. The next morning that one spot was dozens of teeny tiny blisters, in clusters, on the right hand side of her chest and back, and we took her to A&E where we learned she had Shingles. In retrospect, the night after I noticed that one spot was … [Read more...]
366 Week 42
How my children see me
I've been tagged by Merry to show you pictures of me, as seen through the eyes of my two tormentors children. They spend so much time drawing but never really draw me very much, so were happy to take up the gauntlet thrown down to them. LBG is 4-and-a-half and an accomplished artist, so she has put a reasonable amount of detail into her depiction, though no colour. She had other things to draw apparently. You've got to … [Read more...]
Pumpkin Hama Bead crafts
Did you know that you can buy Hama Beads in specific colours? I didn't, so was delighted to receive an orange packet recently. They were perfect for a few Halloween-related Pumpkin crafts. 1. Oil the inside of pumpkin- and leaf-shaped cookie cutters, then add a thick layer of Hama beads. Bake on a lined baking sheet in a hot (180C) oven until beads are fused. 2. To make the ombre pumpkin, I used white, yellow and orange Hama beads … [Read more...]
Breastcancer Awareness Bake: Millionairess Shortbread
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So it seems serendipitous that I saw this recipe for M&M Bark only the day after I bought several tubes of pink smarties last week. The two events collided in my sleep-addled brain one night when I needed a treat to make for a bake sale and this delicious NO BAKE Millionairess Shortbread is the result. Why Millionairess? Because 'tis pink, of course. It's a take on the classic Millionaire's … [Read more...]
