hairdo!

Apparently it has been nine months since I last had my hair cut at the hairdressers!! When I took Heather in last week to get her hair cut my hairdresser was amazed at how long my hair was! But it was definitely time for a change....

So after 2 hours at the hair dressers, feeling pampered this was the result...



I'm soooooooooo happy with it, I'm hoping I will start to have more fun now...

well they say blonde's do!!!!

friends

Today has been a good day. My sitting room was awash with toys and the sounds of two little treasures squealing, laughing even a few tears has been the sound track for the day. My eldest daughter, who looks like a grown up has been allowed to show her true self....an inquisitive three or four year old! There was sword fighting, story reading, ball games and more. At the end of it she was exhausted and Henry didn't want to go home!

But best of all for me was the chance for a good old chin wag with one of my dear friends. I miss the days when I used to spend most weeks days like this with children and toys and other mummys. So I make the most of it when I can, the weekend was a good boost of Red tent nurturing and likeminded thinking, today has been another dollop of listening and sharing and on Friday I get to catch up with my homeopathy ladies...so my friendship meter will be over flowing!

the beautiful plant that Henry gave me.

embracing life

This weekend was tutorial. I generally look forward to these, all that female energy contained in those old buildings in the middle of Weardale!

I thought this weekend was going to be a challenge....I was wrong! Despite our tutor not being able to attend, a surrogate tutor and seriously depleted numbers (three of us on Friday and Saturday and four today) it worked beautifully. The chance to reconnect with women who share the same dreams, passions and beliefs is truely food for the soul. It was worth not being at home for CJ's birthday or to support him in the Great North run (hope he felt as ok with it! and that the Champers tonight went some way to make up for it!!!)

So Ali, Melissa, Becca, Sarah and Cathy I raise a glass to you tonight and "cheers!" and thanks for a great weekend, just what I needed. You are amazing women XXX

weekend walks 2

And today we walked in the Aysgarth area.

rosehips

A piece of cake with Wensleydale was just what we needed at the end of the walk!

weekend walks

So last weekend CJ and I reinstated our weekend walk, and the achy muscles felt good!
Last Sunday we walked in beautiful Swaledale.

Chris finally bought a map for the Satmap
that I gave him for his birthday last year.
Here he is using it!

 can't decide what this is....a kestrel a buzzard? pretty cool whatever!!

we see some interesting things along the way

Jam

The jam making went really well...

the damsons

boiling up the fruit

sterilising the jars

a good rolling boil

checking the set....the best bit because I get to taste it!!

My first batch of jam!

home baked scones with the jam...d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!

So now I am thinking blackberry and apple jam and crab apple jelly to use some more fruit from the garden and then lemon curd.

I also made homemade pesto to go with our pasta last night and I can feel some breadmaking coming on too!!

summers end...

There is no avoiding it...summer is definately on it's way out. The mornings and evenings are chillier, and darker.
I like Autumn with it's crispy golden leaves and days of long shadows. Cozying up by the fire in the evenings with hot chocolate and a good book.
But some how this year I just don't feel ready...I want summer to start over again, to sit out in the garden sucking ice lollies, paddle in the sea and sit with a beer unitl it goes dark and the midges start to bite....

On the bright side it looks like we will have some good harvests this year....

The bees have done good work this year! Perhaps I should have a bee hive too!


So now I'm off to make my first ever batch of damson jam...I will let you know how it goes....

Bank holiday part two

The Centre for Life was our next destination....

http://www.life.org.uk/





 

                                       Dalek

The Face of Bo

K9

It wasn't all Dr Who...Chris sticking his finger in ice (!) and a mirror that made me look even fatter  than I am!!

On the way home we stopped off at The Angel.