Pavement Paintings

We were just listening to the radio in the office and they were discussing a case about children who had been issued fines for drawing on pavement with chalk, hopscotch etc. Totally ridiculous.

Anyway, they mentioned a guy - Julian Beever who does pavement artwork, have a look at his website, click on each image for a larger version. I've never seen anything like it - it's amazing.

Record time

Not sure if it was record time, but it felt like i cycled to work today in record time, even overtook a couple of people (wow!!) - and feeling great for it!

Gary was away at a conference end of last week and part of the weekend, so Lucy and i went swimming and saw some friends and generally had a nice time. I got slightly hocked on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on Friday, thinking it would be just an hour episode but turned out to be two hours - great show, if you haven't seen it then watch it, i often find myself having a little weep - it's just good.

Also whilst Gary was away i made a start on the kitchen floor - long after the burst pipe incident. I got part way through it when Gary arrived home just in time to do the tricky bits. So we're half way there with the floor and will finish the rest tonight - hurrah, at last some floor in the kitchen. Now that wasn't quite record time.

I'm back

It's been over a month since i last posted - sorry about that, there's no excuses really other than work and life have been busy!

It feels like I've done loads in that time - we've been skiing, had a really great time no injuries just lots of laughter. Lucy turned 3 over Easter - she shares her birthday with my mum. So we went to Kent to celebrate both birthdays, and on the Saturday went to Chesington World of Adventures which was brilliant. We went with my mum and dad and my sister and brother-in-law and their 3 children, Lucy had a really great - even this morning she was recalling the berry bouncer and the pink jumbo elephants.

As a joint present from us and others for Lucy's birthday we're buying a climbing frame and swing, which means we need to get the garden sorted out. So we've been spending most of our spare time doing the garden. It's all cleared now (virtually) and almost ready for turfing, but we've got to replace the fence first - especially as Lou-Lou thinks that next doors garden is just an extension of hers!!

PS - you'll probably notice i've gone back to the old template - think i prefer this one

Not long now

I can't believe it's been three weeks since i last blogged - I've obviously been busy doing things, but not sure quite what!

My sister came to stay with her three children - Nikki, Beth and Ashley slept in the front room downstairs and Cameron slept under Lucy's bed, until he developed and allergy to something and we had a visit to A and E. We had a great time though while they were here, we went swimming went to the park and went to the cadbury world playground.

We sadly said goodbye on Wednesday to Sarah who has been staying with us since the New Year. Sarah's husband James went back to Oz at the beginning of the year and Sarah flys back to Oz at the weekend, but she left us on Wednesday. It's been really nice having her stay and it's been great getting to know them both, we've appreciate their generosity and friendship - we shall miss them.

This time next week, we'll be getting ready to head off to the slopes. We leave on Friday and arrive in Switzerland on Saturday afternoon - after a long and hopefully not too uncomfortable coach journey. Gary and i are both really looking forward to going - Lucy is going on her own 'special holiday' and staying with Grandma and Grandad for the first half and then my sister for the second half. She'll be busy and she'll love it.

I probably won't get chance to post anything until we come back - so i'll share some photos with you.

The Snow

Butterfly Park

We went to the butterfly park in Stratford on Saturday - Lucy (and her daddy!) loved it.

Lucy spent most of the time walking round with her hands out waiting for a butterfly to land on her hand - which of course didn't happen, but we managed to pick one up and put if on her hand.

Then half way round we went into the small 'insects area' - that is what it was labeled as! Luckily I got Gary to check it out first, as it looked a little dark and looked like there might be a 'snake' area in there - and there was! Glad I didn't go in there. Lucy was a little put out that I didn't go and see the "big snake"! So I told her that was always daddy's job.

For the first time...again!

Wow, sometimes it feels like I'm often doing things for the first time. This either means that that I'm just a bit sad at catching up with things or... I'm not quite sure what!

Anyway for thr first time, I'm login on and updating the blog at an internet cafe - can't believe this is really a first for me!!

This week has been an eventful week, actually thinking about it, this year has already had a few events to write about, but I'm still positive and excited about 2007!! The week began at Netball on Monday when my friend (Lucy's best friend's mum), had a little collisionn and very badly sprained her leg, it was (and still is) very swollen and black and blue and she's now on crutches and has a air boot for a couple of weeks!

Then I got a stinking cold and the dishwasher decided to stop working (again!), but the most exciting was still to come. On Friday I had a fantastic day out shopping - spending some vouchers I had been given, I haven't yet managed to spend them all. I started off in Starbucks, did a few shops, met Gary for lunch, did a few more shops then headed home with quite a few bags. I had a great day.

Then (wait for it, this is the exciting bit!), in the evening Gary was filling the bath up for Lucy and I was on the phone, when a water pipe in the kitchen burst and water gushed out everywhere. At first we couldn't quite work out where it was coming from as it literally sounded like an overfull drain pipe. The Gary moved the washing machine to find the water spurting out, and he then had to move the dishwasher to turn the water off. All very exciting, in an odd kind of way! The new floor that Gary laid just before New Year is slightly ruined to say the least but the insurance people are coming out on Monday and will fix that.

So on we role to the next month...

English Country Garden

The other day I was doing Lucy's hair, and she started singing, that's not unusual - she often does that! Anyway at 2 and a half years old - I hear her sing "pull down your pants and suffocate the ants in an english country garden" although she couldn't quite say suffocate.

I was amazed, so I asked her, who taught her that song. She had a little think, looked at me and said .... "daddy..." surely not, then she started listing a load of names, obviously wanting to 'protect' the real culprit, who I found out later was daddy! She's such a daddies girl. Unfortunately as I laughed and then quizzed her about it she thought it was funny and kept saying "did I make you laugh mummy". Oh she's a one. So I told her it was a naughty song and later when I caught myself singing it she said "don't sing that mummy, it's a naughty song"!

The lunch hour!

Nearly got completed thrashed, actually have been totally thrashed at Table Football but not today.

The youth have bought a Table Football amongst other things (table tennis, air hockey etc), and at the moment it's in one of the rooms at the offices. So after a quick game of pool it's onto Table Football - I love the frustration and excitement of the game. When your men don't do what you want them to do (does that ever happen), and you look completely stupid swinging your men back and forth hitting air because you keep missing the ball.... or is that just me? And then somehow you score a goal. YEAH!!

Nothing like a bit of competitiveness in the lunch hour!

New Year new....

Hope you had a great Christmas and New Year - even though it seems like ages ago! New Year, new... I was going to say you as we're on a diet to lose a few pounds! But the New Year so far has been new things for the house. Washing machine broke last week, right after Lucy was sick all over me and her bed (not so nice), poor Lucy, but she's better now. Also the radiator decided to burst in the middle - spurting water onto the wall - not a big spurt but still a spurt. So New Year, new... radiator and washing machine (at some point), new flooring in the kitchen, new sofa bed and new wardrobes. Wow what a start to the year.