Feeling Icky

Good Morning, I'm not feeling very well today, so I have decided to spend the morning sat in bed resting and watching a bit of trashy day time television and browsing the Internet and my favourite blogs.

I seem to have picked up a tummy bug that started yesterday, I am still feeling very nauseous and have a pounding headache. It's typical, yesterday was the first day that I have had to myself in over two weeks and I get ill!

I am hoping to get up later an will hopefully start to feel a bit perkier. I have managed a cup of tea which is a start!

Are you looking forward to the royal wedding tomorrow? We are going to a street party in the afternoon, so I definitely need to get my act together and start feeling better soon. I have cakes to bake and salads to make to take with us. I am planning on watching the wedding in the morning, I am by no means a royalist but I do love a good wedding!

I think a bit of a celebration will do the country good, it all seems such doom and gloom at the moment so a bit of a knees up can't do us any harm. Lets hope the sun shines and the predicted showers keep away.

We have been toying with the idea of getting some chickens. I have fancied keeping some for a long while but Mr P was very reluctant. He thinks that they will destroy all of the plants and wreck the garden. We have however got rid of our trampoline which frees up an area that would be perfect for chicken keeping. It is already wood chipped and would comfortably fit a coop and decent sized run. We could let them have free range of the garden when we are out there with them, mainly to keep an eye on them and stop them destroying all of the plants. Daisy is very keen and has asked for chickens as a birthday present.

I have ordered a book from Amazon on choosing and keeping chickens, I want to know all of the facts before we make a definite decision. If any of you are chicken keepers then please leave a comment on the pros and cons.

Till next time.

Alison

x

Happy Easter

Hello and Happy Easter. Yet again it's been a while, lots going on in the Gingercat house and not much time to spare I'm afraid.


All is good here, we have been enjoying the glorious weather and spending lots of time outside. I collected my bike last Wednesday, here she is. It has been lovely having a bike again, it's been a while and I was a bit wobbly at first! I have been out for a few rides, just to the shops and out for little rides with the children.





I have finally finished my sister's birthday blanket, I finished off the edging just this afternoon. My sister is coming for tea tomorrow so I will give it to her then. Do you like the edging? It's a row of trebles, then two rows of double crochet and then a little purple edging row. Here it is in all of its glory. I have to say I am very pleased with it and I am a bit sorry to see it go.






Finally a picture of my patchwork cushion. I think I'm fairly pleased with it for a first attempt. The patches all line up and the appliqued hearts look reasonably good. I haven't had a chance to get on with my quilt what with the school holidays and all, so I am looking forward to going back to college in a couple of weeks and finally being able to spend some time on it.




Easter preparations in the Gingercat house were a little delayed this year (well compared to last year). Our Easter tree only went up this morning and was hastily decorated by my two over excited little helpers. The Easter bunny called at our house and Daisy and Alex had great fun hunting in the garden for chocolate chicks and bunnies. Vast quantities of chocolate have already been consumed. It is also Mr P's birthday today, so on top of all the chocolate we have also been out for a yummy pub lunch with family and then back for tea and birthday cake sat in the garden in the sunshine.

Easter cupcake were hastily baked this morning and topped with little sugar icing eggs.

We have spent lots of time sorting the garden out over the past few weeks and it's looking good, so good in fact we are now undecided about whether we want to move just yet. We love living in our little cottage and especially love the garden but we do need more living space. Our hearts are still very firmly attached to our little house and that's the problem. We need to move but we don't really want to. I think we will put our house on the market at some point this year but maybe just not yet. It's very depressing when you look around and see what we can actually afford, an extra £100,000 buys you very little in the South East. It is such a huge amount of money for such little gain in my opinion.

Moving on from depressing house plans, we had a lovely picnic at Cliveden on Friday afternoon. Cliveden is a National Trust property about four miles from our house, it's the house famed with the Profumo affair during the 1960's and the Astor family. The house is owned by the National Trust but leased and run as a very lovely luxury hotel, with the gardens open to the public. They have wonderful gardens and have just recreated a yew maze that existed in the 1800's. The maze was an experience to say the least. We all made it to the middle fairly easily but getting out was another matter! Daisy and I were stuck in the maze for ages, we even phoned Mr P on his mobile to come and rescue us. Mr P and Alex had gone on in front and managed to loose us on the way out, they however seemed to find the exit easily. The National Trust had laid on an Easter egg hunt and crafts for the children, so we all enjoyed a really lovely afternoon. Here is Daisy tucking into a hot cross bun!

Alex and Mr P enjoying the sunshine.

Homemade hot cross buns made on Friday morning and enjoyed on our picnic. They were lovely, so much nicer than shop bought ones.

Here is Daisy's finished bedroom furniture, do you remember I had plans to have her furniture shabby chic'd. It's finally been finished and I am really pleased with it. It feels as though she has new furniture even though it's the same old pieces just with a paint job face lift.

Daisy asked me to show you her collage she made for her school's art gallery. Each year they host an arts and crafts fair which includes a children's art gallery. This year's theme was Great Britain. Daisy decided on the great British seaside. She used various fabrics and I think she did a really good job. She even got a head teachers award for her effort.

Do you remember that a few weeks back I went for an interview, well I got offered the job and start it the week after next! It's for 30 - 40 hours per month working mainly from home as an administrator for a local preschool. I am really looking forward to starting and it means that I have been able to give up one of the two cleaning jobs that I do and loathe. I am still able to work at the after school art club and have decided for the time being to keep the other cleaning job. I should still have some time for crafting and blogging if all goes to plan.

Well its time to get the smalls into bed, and then to plan my next crochet project. I have loads of crocheted squares that I started last Summer but never finished so I need to come up with a cunning plan for using them and turning them into something colourful and lovely.

Till next time.

Alison

x

Happy Mothers Day

Hello, Happy Mothers Day to all you mums. I hope you have been made to feel special today. I have had a very lazy Mothers day. I enjoyed breakfast in bed and then had a pile of lovely present to open. I had some lovely smellies, some vintage style bits and pieces including a ration book note book and all hidden inside a lovely union jack storage chest. Daisy and Mr P made a trip to the garden centre last week, where Daisy spent an age choosing bits and pieces that she knew I would like. I was thoroughly spoiled. I also received two very lovely handmade cards.

After this lovely start to the morning, it was time to get up and make a quiche, as the in-laws had been invited over for a spot of Mothers day lunch. They arrived at midday and my lovely MIL had bought me a bunch of lovely spring flowers just because it was mothers day. Lunch was eaten, followed by a trip to the park and then back home in time for Daisy to go horse riding.

I didn't go out to the park as yesterday I took a nasty fall whilst out for a walk with Daisy. We had the afternoon to ourselves as the boys had gone to watch football. We were left without the car so we planned a walk down the hill to the next village and then we planned to catch the train into Marlow for a mooch around the shops. I fell over in spectacular fashion whilst walking down the hill. I was walking one minute and flat on my face the next. The path was in a very poor state and my ankle had gone over on a very uneven patch of path. I fell heavily on my knee and managed to cut it. Luckily no-one saw me fall, that would have been so embarrassing! I had to lean against a fence for a while as I felt really sick afterwards. I think I last fell over when I was 17, so it was probably the shock of it that made me feel sick.

We managed carry on into the village, me hobbling very slowly and went to the chemist to get some plasters for my knee. Eventually we made it to the train station to catch the train into Marlow. My knee was very sore and stiff and it was a bit of an effort hobbling around the shops.

This morning my knee felt much better and I smugly thought I had got away without too much damage. However, as the morning went on I started to ache all over, I literally ache from head to toe. My arms in particular are very tender. So I spent most of the day just sitting around feeling a tad sorry for myself. My sister offered to take Daisy to horse riding as she enjoys watching her, so I even managed a sneaky doze in the chair this afternoon whilst they were out and Mr P was upstairs doing his paperwork. He guessed I had fallen asleep as he shouted down "I hope you are not asleep down there" he knows me so well!

I have an interview tomorrow morning, so wish me luck as this is the first job that I have applied for that I would really like to get. Its only for 40 hours per month as a pre-school administrator, working from home. It sounds interesting, I have all the skills that they are looking for and it would fit in around family life. Alex has already told me he doesn't think I will get the job! Kids - don't you just love them!

I have ordered a bike. I have been thinking about getting one for a while as I am finding the cost of petrol just ridiculous for the amount of miles I actually do. I do mostly local trips, just here and there, popping to the shops. Probably half of those could be cycled to. So that's the plan, cycle instead of drive if at all possible. The kids also like to go out for a cycle ride, so it will save me trying to keep up with them. I have ordered a traditional style bike with a basket, unfortunately not a Pashley, shame I don't have a spare £650, the one I have ordered is a much cheaper make and model. I should have it by next weekend all being well.

No photos tonight, I will do a daytime post this week and include lots of photographs. I seem to have lost my blogging urge at the moment. It's not that I have lost interest in blogging just lost the will to actually write!

An interview, quilting and parents evening to look forward to tomorrow, along with all the usual Monday jobs. I am feeling tired out just thinking about it all!

Till next time. Alison x