another new skill

i got lottie a bike on ebay for £12.61

skate park needed a visit

but this was too high and steep and we had to admit defeat for today but will try again another day with no-one watching and no-one rushing

(i was the same with the diving boards...couldn't do it unless the pool was empty and i had all the time in the world to pluck up the courage and go over the edge)

spooky...

on my way to work i saw this boat in the harbour

with the mist swirling around it and only the lights visible, it was a bit of a scooby doo moment

dream house

we've been discussing what type of house we would live in

this is mine which i fell in love with back in 2000

(dido's video for "thank you")

lottie would have all mod cons and a luxury apartment in a city centre

ellie would have a small holding for all the animals she wants

(and servants to do all the hard work that goes with it)

today's titter

a new profession

"i'm a lumberjack and i'm ok...."

the elder tree in the garden is half dead and half thinking about it

i climbed it, i sawed it, i sweated, i scratched skin, i got spiders down my bra and bark in my mouth

but it is done (save for a few branches little me could not reach) and now we have masses of kindling and logs for winter

but i'm feckin tired and my arm hurts

new skills

i'm getting the hang of this

feeling more confident

nope it's too high

i'll stick to what i'm comfy with

introducing...

got a carton of soured cream for 12 pennies yesterday so decided to prove/disprove the theory that adding such to your cake batter makes a more moist cake

this is dark chocolate squidger sponge with melted dark chocolate and cream cheese filling

this is coconut lemon fluffy cake with pineapple cream cheese filling

they go well in any crowd and seem liked by all

and i have proved the theory to be correct

(recipes available on request)

lost cat

couldn't find jaycee anywhere today

he was sulking because he loves my bed but nasty grandma won't let him in her room

so i sat down at the computer to check ebay (what else does one do at the pc?) and there he was

tucked away in a drawer under the pc desk

he's still there now

(but he's still not allowed in my room)

seaford scooter sensation!

"here she comes, flying down the path

she's a little bit cautious

but she makes me laugh

hey, hey here comes lottie!

people don't get her home-ed

but it's just what suits her

and makes her a happy head"

racing her sister and some random kids we found...their dad did the zipwire carthorse thing so i did the scooter carthorse thing

a lovely day

manners

they complain that anyone twenty years younger than themselves having no manners or knowledge of cordial behaviour, yet lottie and i experienced the worst case of rudeness by an oap today

still, it taught lottie sooooooo how not to behave toward fellow human beings

(maybe she wasn't a human and that would explain it but i don't believe in the existence of life forms from other galaxies so she was still just a crabby cow)

rock climbing

rottingdean has fabulous boulders to climb over when the tide goes out

much thought and planning of her route was required for this wary young explorer

we also fed seagulls our crispy chips and nearly got attacked alfred hitchcock style and i learnt from a guy in the chipshop that tommy steele (currently appearing in scrooge) was the first man to be fined for inside lane overtaking...to which my very witty reply was "how much was he fined? half a sixpence?"ha ha!

it's back!

lottie's favourite pastime

got a brand spanking new 8ft trampoline on ebay for £40

she has missed it

isn't this ceiling with it's ice cream coloured pannelling and very 50s lighting amazing?

my great grandmother (and now i have also discovered) my great, great grandmother and a great uncle would have stared up at this

it's from the main hall at bodmin asylum

skating their way

one skate each

if it makes them happy....

it had to happen...

yep...halloween and christmas pads!

a customer asked and i have supplied

my poor dad was in another car accident and yet again it wasn't his fault and it has shook him up and caused him lots of negative emotions and physical discomfort and utter inconvenience

when you are a child you think your parents are invincible

but i'll let you in on a secret....

they're not

but he's still superman to me

(even though his cape has to be mended)

sunny seaford

two yachts gliding along

lottie can't get enough of the zipwire

a welcome shady rest for my feet and coffee

honeycomb ice cream for a hot honeybunny

all the pillar bases at seaford station are 'haggerstone iron foundry' yet i cannot find any info on this company...

what a sassy chick

guess who got taken to the hairdressers and ended up looking like a laydeeee?

yep, that's my baby, nearly 10 and growing up fast (she wants it dyed like jessie j's)

a door plaque

lottie was in a therapeutic mood so a new sign for her door was the task in hand

lots of glue, jewels, foam and bows

and this is it

makes her bedroom door look gorgeous dahling

wildlife walk to work

walking to work at 5.30am means you get to see a side to newhaven that you would never usually

two weeks ago i came across a robin on the pavement who didn't fly off when i came nearer, didn't fly off when i bent down to talk to it, didn't fly off when i stroked it...i thought it was stuck in some gum or had a poorly wing but no...it just was feeling friendly because it flew off after i walked away

(robins are said to be father christmas' watchers so good job i was being nice)

and today i had a fox trotting along beside me

(just under the lamp-post at the top of the slope...can you see?)

magical

hurricane katia

as the northern half of the uk is being battered by the tailend of katia, seemed like a good unit study to cover today

lottie stuck strips of carrier bags out from the eye in an anticlockwise direction to represent the spiral rainbands

we threw a few facts 'out' from the hurricane

we also learnt the grading of hurricanes with their typical windspeeds and subsequent damage

we stayed in and baked brownies rather than go out and get blown about

far better option

ten years on...

saw a few minutes of the memorial service today

the memorial fountain is beautiful and brilliant

water is always a calming sound

 when the water first flows from the top it looks like the windows of the towers

every single name is etched into bronze around the edge which is back-lit at night

finally a peaceful place for reflection, contemplation and recognition

when they read out the names of every single person who died that day, it still makes me sob

like everyone else, i watched the events unfold live on tv with a baby in my belly and wondering what world was she about to enter

for my generation, we will always remember where we were when the planes hit

and that was lottie's history lesson today

a pretty patisserie!

went to brighton today to spend hard-earnt pounds

(am always so glad to come home)

and we found just down the road from brighton station

COCOA a beautiful french patisserie selling authentic french baked goods

ellie chose an enormous lemon meringue with poppy seeds and a pistachio macaroon

lottie chose an apple meringue and a strawberry macaroon

omg