back at school

I am sitting with a slightly scarey statue on a bench at Knebworth - we had a brilliant day there last Friday.

Thanks goodness, I say. The boys are back at school. I do love having them around - and not racing out the door every morning - but it is definitely time for them to be back in the classroom.

Talking of which, I may soon be back in the classroom myself. An interview this week and I may be teaching in September. Fingers are crossed - I am very excited. And am certanily ready for the challenge of school life again.

Gus has had a lovely few days with his Grandma and Grandad. He is chatting away (his own language, that is!) and certainly understands what we are saying. We have spent the last few days doing stuff around the house. The new place meant we needed a mower, outdoor garden furniture, seeds to plant...

And for me, exciting news that Mum is visiting from Australia. She arrives on Friday. I can't wait. To see her, to go shopping together, for her to get to know Gus and for the boys to enjoy their time together. It is countdown time.

fred's sewing

Freddie is missing one of his little mate's birthday parties this weekend. He is so disappointed...so we have the lovely Isaiah and his brother Reuben over today.

It will be busy but as the boys are the same age as our two, they do have fun. I have pizza dough rising on the side ready to make up for their lunch. That should take up a few minutes. Plus most of the time out in the garden and all will be good.

And Fred sewed this drawstring bag to go with the 'Crazee beans' (!) for Isaiah's birthday present. I love this wood grain fabric from Ikea.

fairy cakes

This is the sort of 'cooking' the boys love - sweets, icing and shop bought cakes.

And we have a lovely trayful ready to take to visit Mead Open Farm with our friends. Now the boys are outside in the sunshine and I get to finish a few jobs. Got to love Asda fairy cakes.

aichoo!

Gus is having a great time poking pasta into play-doh...

And here comes that annoying sneeze...


Whew!

more baking!

These biscuits were made with some kind of equipment for torture... the cookie press. I mean, is it really worth the effort to load and push the dough through the elaborate nozzle-thingy??

The boys were bored after five minutes so I had to finish off. They taste nice, though. I think I might get the hang of it after a bit of trial and error (mostly error) ... on the other hand it may be off to the charity shop. I still have have the batch of dough waiting in the fridge. Mmmm.

sticky sausages

Super super easy tea for the boys tonight. Mini pork sausages (the ones that come in tubs with questionable contents) in the frying pan with a splash of soy sauce and a spoon of honey. They went down very well with beans and bread and butter. Couldn't be simpler!

flamstead pool

Thanks to some very hardworking volunteers, we are lucky enough to have a heated outdoor pool here in our village. It sits just at the back of the village school, behind a lovely newly erected fence. The grounds of the school have a field for impromptu football games and also climbing equipment.

It has just been re-painted ready for a summer of fun. And as an extra treat (for the mums as well as the children!) the Markyate Firemen came along to fill it up for us. Instead of garden hoses taking three days, it was done in two and a half hours. Fantastic! And thank you to the chaps.

We have made use of the pool in the past, but expect a lot of visits this summer. By all accounts the heating system is all good - and I will be down on the sweet shop/ entrance rota to help out. If Gus allows it, that is.

If you are local, get in touch with me and I'm sure I can pass on any details. There will be the chance to have structured swimming lessons in the pool, but alos lots of free-swim time in the afternoon. Having a 'season pass' works out the best value.