rainbow

Yesterday as i was driving Bam to Home Ed group we saw a glorious rainbow. We live in the fens, but on the edge of them and we were on a road approaching where the Wolds begin. So in front of us we could see the scenery rising up, a church on the hill and houses here and there. And suddenly i noticed the edge of a rainbow and as we travelled along the road it grew until eventually there was a whole rainbow framing the view of the Wolds rising up behind them. What a glorious thing to share with my son...........

the earth turns

I went to collect Bam from his dad's today......his dad mentioned something he had said the other day. It was along these lines......

'Daddy,if i was on the moon, and if the moon is spinning.....if i walk very fast will i stay in the same place?'

Then in the car on the way home

'Mummy......on the opposite side of the world, when we have the sun they have the moon. It's light here and dark there'

On a Monday before i take Bam back to his dad's we go to a Home Ed group. We've been having a lady from a goverment funded music programme coming in. Bam has really enjoyed that, but he is immersed in music in both his homes and regularly makes up songs. This Monday just gone the group had a visit from a Morris Man. We all sat round in a circle and sang some songs, the children suggesting words and rhymes for the verses. They had a go at playing the accordian and the spoons, and then the older children learnt to do some Morris Dancing. Bam thoroughly enjoyed the whole session! Every day that goes by with him we are more convinced that our decision to Home Ed this bright, spirited young man is the right one.

This week for me has not been a good one. I've been full of cold (Oz took us to Home Ed on Monday because i was too ill to drive) and on Tuesday morning i managed to fall down the stairs. I ended up in A&E (courtesy of the Taxi of Mum and Dad) but x-rays show no serious injury and so i am sporting a somewhat tender behind (yes! i bounced down 5 steps on my bottom) and can almost laugh at it now.......

Stairs

The 'before'.......the original victorian stairs that went up the main bedroom. Oh we were really loathe to remove them, but they were just not safe. Partly because they were rickety (and when the plywood casing came off it was apparent they were more dangerous than we realised), and partly because they were more ladder than staircase and really quite difficult to negotiate. The top photo was taken standing halfway up.....you would enter the bedroom on your hands and knees! So we took the decision to have them replaced with a staircase that we can use. We employed a small local firm and had a proper wooden staircase fitted (none of your MDF nonsense). All old buildings have to evolve or they become uninhabitable, and we have tried to do this as sympathetically as possible.

And so here they are.....our new stairs. Looking a bit stark and 'new' in our old Victorian schoolhouse but i have beeswax ready to feed them and over time they will age and settle into the house. We are really happy with them, and the quality of work is fantastic.

My first attempt at a blog with photos!!

I'v edited this because i forgot to say.....we have kept all the wood from the old staircase and when we find a creative joiner/carpenter will be having it made into a table or storgae box. All the wood will be re-used in the house in some way.

a moment with nature and a childhood book

This morning i had one of those beautiful, unexpected moments that nature likes to send us now and then. I got up and as i passed the landing window i looked out of it, as i always do. It looks out from the back of the house, over the bit of overgrown scrub directly behind us and over the fields and to the houses in the distance. This morning it is wet outside, though not too cold and so there is a slight mist hanging low over the ground and that strange silence the countryside holds on such a morning.
This morning that view was different though. This morning there was a creature sat on the wall in the scrub. At first i thought it was a cat, which caught my eye because there are not many round here. But then i realised it was too big for a cat......and then i noticed the black tips to it's ears and the huge bushy tail as it moved to get a more comfortable footing. A FOX!! Oh what beauty, it was glowing in the half-light. It sat on the wall for ten minutes, it's ears turning to follow sounds.......it's nose lifting in the air catching a smell on the breeze. Then it gingerly felt it's way down the bramble that has grown over an old metal frame leaning against the wall.....and disappeared from view into the bramble patch.
And so to the childhood memory. I have noticed that a new film is coming out, and it is a stop animation of one of my favourite books from childhood. And what should this book be about? Oh but a fox. A fantastic fox. The Fantastic Mr Fox! I loved this story as i child, i read it over and over. And i was going to buy it for Bam for Christmas and a tiny part of me feels jealous that now this wonderful story which so few had heard of, and that felt like a little secret i could share with my son, is now going to be seen by the whole world. I should be happy though that so many more are now going to enjoy this story and i hope love it as much as I.

What a difference though between Mr Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox and my glowing morning companion.

new stairs and poorly children

So, after a week of banging and sawing and making lots of mess the joiners have got our new stairs in. When i figure it out i will post before and after pictures on here for you all to see (whoever 'you' are).

Oz has been away all week, and won't be back until Monday. I miss him so much....the little things like the hug when he gets in from work, and chatting in the kitchen while he cooks dinner. Bam is missing him too......

And talking of Bam, he didn't go to nursery today as he is full of cold and didn't feel upto it. So i collected him from his dad's a little earlier than usual, and we've had a lovely afternoon together including a dog walk. We went down by the drain and someone was fishing down there. I think maybe he was after peace and quiet but seemed more than happy to answer Bam's questions. Oh boy........do four year olds know how to ask questions. If you've seen the film Uncle Buck..........well the scene with John Candy, Macaulay Culkin and the string of questions should give you some idea of the scene by the water today *chuckle*
The swans were on the water this afternoon too.....with their wings spread up in the classic pose you always see in drawings. What a serene sight indeed, but anyone who's been up close to a swan will know just how BIG they really are....truly an animal to be respected in close proximity.

It is wonderful to see the changing landscape.....the colours as the season turns. I have taken it for granted for so many years, having always lived here....but now i am in some ways seeing it afresh both as my son notices it with a childs eyes and as Oz see's it as a newcomer to the area.

in and how time flies

Well we moved into the house on the very last day of July. The weeks leading up to it were so stressful. Our solicitor messed up, the letting agent where we were leaving was being awkward (and that continued after we left, i will never rent again if i can help it), and we had holiday thrown into the mix too!!
It was left so late we couldn't get removals and had to do it ourselves in a van, with help from very good friends.

So here we are, and once again i have not blogged for ages though i hope for this to become more regular now i am settled in my own home and can find myself a routine.

We've had to put the kitchen on hold which was going to be our first project, to get a staircase replaced. Such a shame to have it removed as it is original to the property but it is too dangerous and steep to use, especially with a child in the house. They will start fitting the stairs on Monday.......

Well Oz will be in from work very soon. It is getting dark out and soon he will be leaving in the morning and getting home at night in total darkness. It always takes a while to get used to and somehow makes our evenings together seem so much shorter.

Autumn and her smells and feeling of 'something' in the air is well and truly here.

and more packing

ah it really is a loathsome task. I shall be glad to move and stay put this time. I've got to that dreadful stage where i have done all the 'easy' packing. If you've ever moved then you know what i mean. I have tried to be organised about what i put in each box but have got to that 'sling it in and sort it at the other end' state already. I feel like packing it that way is at least getting it packed, otherwise i am just going to sit and stare (and worry) about getting it done.

I'm also looking forward to being nearer to some friends and family. Sometimes my days feel long and it will be nice to be able to just nip out for coffee and some adult interaction for a couple of hours. I love my son more than i can ever say but talking about Star Wars and Dr Who has limited mileage!!

planes and walks

It was the airshow at the RAF base down the road over the weekend. It meant the traffic was very heavy and in fact it was so busy this year that on Saturday the traffic queued for 3 hours and eventually they reached capacity and had to turn people away.
We decided to walk down into the next village and had lunch in the park, and Lemmy had a play while we were there. Then we walked back towards home but popped into the village on the other side of the main road and visited the pub. We sat and had a lovely cold drink in the beer garden. We came home the long way down the Heath Road, where lots of people had parked up and were sat on camping chairs watching the aerial display. We had timed it just right to see the flight by the Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane. My that Lancaster is BIG and makes the most beautiful sound.

We've been making a big push on the packing over the last couple of days. The garage is full of boxes so how come the house still feels full of stuff?

changes afoot

i know i rarely come on here. I use blogger on a daily basis but to read the blogs that i enjoy.
Well all change here in the next few weeks. We're in the process of buying a house and getting very close to moving. I can't wait to have my own home again, one that i can paint and put shelves up. Living in rented accomodation when you have spent all your adult life in a property you own is hard, especially when your landlord doesn't want you to make any changes to the property. I'm also looking forward to finally having a garden that is mine so that i can make a start on providing some food for us and can have the garden how i want it. The garden here is in a state to be honest but the only way to rectify it would be to rip it all out and start again......it's not my garden so i can't and i'm not inclined to anyway lol.

So when i finally move, i will have to figure out how to put photos on this blogger so i can chart the process of us making the new house our family home......

weekend fun

Saturday was Oz's birthday, he had his presents in bed including a book about dog behaviour and what it all means which he was very pleased with! We spent the morning at home, pottered about the house and went for a walk down the lane. We don't usually go as far when we don't have the dogs but i wanted to see the wooded bit right down the bottom to see if there was anything interesting growing there, from a foraging point of view. Looks like it will yield for nettle soup, but that's about it!
After lunch we headed over to the Farm Park for Oz's birthday treat. Bam said he was going to stroke a pig but when it came to it the pig turned it's head just as Bam was about to stroke it's back and it frightened him a little, but then they are such big creatures and i suppose to a three year old it must be quite intimidating. I did get some photos but for some reason i didn't get a lead for my phone to transfer pics and i can't bluetooth them onto my computer. They have a beautiful curly haired Suffolk Mare......she is huge, and lovely dark chestnut colour. They had lambs of course, and one was all curled up in the feeding trough! We wandered over to the lambing pen where there are lots of ewes ready to give birth any day and Bam gave me a serious talk about how the sheep will poo the baby out, complete with actions.....oh we did laugh!!
They have lovely chickens too, some beautiful varieties....but my memory is bad and i can't remember names. My favourites are the black and white ones with very distinct markings.
Bam was eager to get inside to the soft play, so off we went and he ran off energy for an hour and a half while Oz and i sat and had a cup of tea. Then home and i made a party tea for Oz of sandwiches and biscuits and of course the cake that Bam and i had made for him that morning, with icing and sprinkles courtesy of Bam (that any icing made it to the cake is a miracle in itself)......

Yesterday we weren't sure what to do. Glorious sunshine and wind in the morning meant my washing machine saw some action. We were going to go for a walk in the woods, but then i found out that the Museum of Lincolnshire Life and Lincoln Castle were free entry so we went into Lincoln and had a look round. We've been to the Castle before, but Bam and Oz haven't been to the museum and i haven't been since i was a girl. It is a lovely, sweet little musuem....the domestic side of it interests me, the old kitchen with it's range and hand cranked accessories, the laundry room with a great big brick boiler in the corner that would have had a fire lit underneath, and a row of flat irons all different sizes. The boys were more interested in the tanks, steam engines and old farming machinery. I understand why they don't want people interfering with this old stuff but it was such a shame to have to curb Bam's enthusiasm by telling him he couldn't touch or sit on the old tractors.
Today it is bright and windy so more laundry......this weather is great, i get to the bottom of the laundry basket and all those things that don't get washed because work shirts are more important. Oz is playing upstairs with Bam as i type this, they have been building tunnels with big Lego and playing at trains and i think Oz might be reading Bam stories now. Need to think of somewhere to go this afternoon as i like to have Bam out and about at least half the day........

patience

This week we have been trying to buy a house, but the owner is not budging on the price. He won't accept that the property needs a LOT of work and also with the way the market is at the moment......oh well, if it's meant to be ours it will come to us.

Going to London tomorrow, seeing a band in the evening as a birthday treat for Oz. We're also going to the Farm Park on Saturday which is Oz's birthday treat, as prompted by Bam!

Short blog....just trying to get into the swing of it.

hares.......

I have had a terrible headache which lingered for three days, making me feel thoroughly rotten and nauseous. Finally got rid of that but think i may have a 'lurgy' as i'm not feeling too great today.
This morning Oz went off to work and then came back again after getting stuck in traffic caused by an accident, and so missing his train. He came home to find two giggling lumps under the duvet as me and Bam were hiding from him :).....with the rather comic addition of Bam pinching his nose and saying 'phewiff it smells!'.......because we have a boys smell/girls are best - girls smell/boys are best chant going on at the minute.
Got up and after a fortifying cup of tea was dragged into Bam's room to play.....but i really felt too ill and weary to be crawling round on the floor making 'stomping things' and spaceships and waging war with them. I sat in Bam's window and saw three hares in the field opposite running and playing. Chasing each other round in circles and then occasionally jumping up so high in the air. Just three little shadows dancing on the bright blank canvas of the snow on the field. Such a simple thing, but it brought a lot of joy to me that i could sit in the warm and witness such a thing. The other night as i popped out the back door this shadow stopped still on the field, i could see it through the gap between hedge and garage......it stared at me and stood still and looked back in awe as i realised it was a hare. Then it broke away it's gaze and hopped off.....it didn't rush, just slowly hopped away on it's moonlit business.

I have taken Bam back to his daddy's today, horrendous journey both ways with a combination of roads like ice rinks, no screen wash and lorries throwing muck onto the windscreen, rain, fog and then three lorries who didn't move on the return on the ice-rink road meaning that little old me (not a confident driver) had to go onto the verge......a snowfilled verge.....the last time i very nearly got stuck.
The rain that was here when i got home about 4pm has now turned to sleet, and probably will turn to snow overnight. I've had my fill of it now......it is beautiful, and one of nature's reminders that we are at her mercy......will people take that message on board though?

snow

well, like lots of other people all over the country we have snow. Bam dragged Oz out in it on Monday morning for a play. He was so excited by it, and kept asking if it was Christmas again! It feels strange to have all this snow and no little boy playing in it while he is at his daddy's. I miss him so very much, and times like this make the pain raw :(

I am stranded somewhat as getting the cars out of the drive is almost impossible, the lane up to the main road is treacherous and i am not at all confident about driving in it. The snow of course messed up the trains too and so Oz spent Monday and Tuesday working from home, but has made it into London today.

*ppeks round the door*

oh i really am rubbish at this aren't i?

Since i last posted we've had Christmas which was a busier affair than usual. I collected Bam from his dad's late on Christmas afternoon. We visited my parents for pressies and a buffet tea, then home and a bit of quiet time before bed! Boxing Day was the day we did presents with Bam.....he opened his tool bench first and demanded it was put together and wasn't interested in opening anything in the meantime! After that was done and dusted we popped out to see friends, who had lots of other friends visiting. I think us arriving with a noisy toddler was most welcome seeing as they were all suffering just a little from overindulging the night before.....*evil laughter* and so our work there was done. The day after Boxing day we set off for the Isle Of Wight to see Oz's family. Bam did remarkably well as our journey involved being stuck in dreadful traffic on the M25....so we missed the ferry we were supposed to be on. When we eventually got to the ferry terminal Bam announced 'i am cited about going on a boat' and bless him he really was excited. We established that the buoys were in fact Dalek rockets that had had the tops blown off and that Darth Vader lives in the fort out in the sea......oh and i did my motherly duty by telling him the seaweed floating in the sea was shark bogies *lol* and Bam was sure he saw an octopus......ah the imagination of a child!!
We had a great time on the Isle of Wight and after a couple of days there we came home.......
Then to New Years Eve which Oz and i spent in Bradford with a group of very good friends!

The new year has got off to a quiet start, just the usual......and last night we went up to Manchester to see Half Man Half Biscuit play which was a fantastic night's entertainment. Feeling tired now after a late night and not much sleep thanks to a very uncomfortable hotel bed, with the thinnest duvet i've ever seen. I shall be pleased to get into my own very comfy bed tonight with my great big snuggly winter duvet!