Showing posts with label Mothering Sunday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mothering Sunday. Show all posts

Sunday, 11 April 2010

Wonderful weekends....

Friends came for the weekend and we had a lovely time in the hot, hot sun....that's not even a joke. Shropshire IS the new Caribbean! It must have almost reached 20°. (Shut-up those of you in warmer climes! That IS too Hot!!) We barbecued, we drank all the chilled Prosecco and a delicious bottle of Taittinger (thank you guests.) We were so relaxed that there was no head-throbbing in the mornings either.

On Saturday we explored Ludlow - to be highly recommended. The farmers market stalls oozed cheeses, olives and scrummy meats, although the hand-knits seemed wholly inappropriate for the heat-wave. We ate ice-creams and I brazenly stripped off jeans, football sox and boots to reveal milk-bottle legs which I dabbled in icy river water in a really successful quest for fishies. The kids finally prised their fishing net from my cold wet grasp - spoil sports!




The only bit I'm regretting now is the climb to the top of Ludlow Castle. http://www.ludlowcastle.com/ Oh. My. God! I have hurt muscles I never even knew I had, my legs and bottom are killing me! I now know that I would have been a rubbish servant girl in the olden-days. I could NOT have run up and down those stairs all day fetching and carrying. No sir-eee. I'd have been fired from my position (or thrown in the danky-dungeon or drowned as a witch probably) for putting my hands on my generous hips and saying 'Sod off you lazy git, get it yer bloody self!'




Tuesday, 16 March 2010

Reflections on Mothers' Day...



I didn't have Mothering Sunday this year, instead I claimed my Mothers' Day on the Saturday. It was a fantastic day.

We awoke at 7am to see the sunlight peeping through the window that I've yet to get a curtain for and by 8am we were chomping into Ludlow sausages, bacon and our own delicious eggs with crusty bakery bread. My home-made cards were fantastic. Girl had made one in the shape of a tea pot which had a tea bag stapled inside, saying 'take a break today Mummy.' It was inspired. The 5yo's teacher had helped them make cards like little fish tanks with tie-dye material that looked like water. Teacher is beautiful and aged about 12 so I can only presume her grandparents were hippies passing on their tie-dye skills.

By now the sun was high in the sky and although the temperature was a little fresh, there was no breeze so I attacked the garden while husband ferried the kids around the site in Dizzy Disco picking up all discarded trash and rotten wood which they drove to the *new bonfire.

*Worryingly, husband has started building the bonfire for Bonfire Night!! You'll be able to see our celebration from space, I fear for the fence, house, animals!

Dizzy also managed to uproot several unwanted shrubs: We lashed a tow rope around them attached the rope to Dizzy and drove off. It was very satisfying, especially as it meant I didn't have to spend hours digging them out.

The 5yo and Daddy departed for the dump, some 25 miles away while the 7yo took photos of everything and I barrowed 2 ton of rotten cow poo to my raised vegetable beds. Almost heaven except for the fact that our wheelbarrow is absolute pants; with a hard fixed wheel and small capacity I was forced to 'borrow' the tenant's barrow from the stables.....I'm not sure they're happy about this as there are rumours about cows passing worms to horses. However I always wash it out afterwards but its a bit of a pain.

When the boys returned we had lunch in the walled garden in the sun. I couldn't find my gardening gloves and husband suggested they might be in the back of Dizzy. I pulled open the tailgate to find a wonderful, huge, shiny black wheelbarrow with a bouncy wheel. Wit-ta-woooooo. I nearly cried when I had to put the first forkful of poo in it but it's well and truly christened now!

Pizza for dinner was another surprise.....kinda surprised we ever got it! We ordered from a takeaway in a little town 5 miles away and explained carefully how rural we were. 'S'okay,' said the man with the cute Turkish accent 'We got Sat Nav...' I eventually had to run a mile down our lane and guide him in with a high beam torch!! We re-heated in the oven, and I'm pleased to say we have not contracted salmonella.

All in all possibly the best day ever. Thanks family and thanks God for the nice weather.

The Archers at The Larches

Lou - Chicken whisperer....

Lou - Chicken whisperer....

Snowy and Moon

Snowy and Moon