Saturday 25 September 2010

Complete contentment


Today has been busy and I am sitting on the sofa (when I should be at the gym) exhausted now. But there have been tiny moments of total and utter contentment. I read a blog this week that urged people to do something every day that made them truly happy, and maybe that's why I noticed my moments. I was being a bit lazy though, you see I didn't actually do anything to make me happy, I just noticed things that brought a smile to my face.

I opened the curtains this morning and the sky was completely blue, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the air was cold and crisp. Of course, there was breakfast to get, and washes to put on, and children to dress and the day to get on with so the moment didn't last long!

Little Miss had been invited to a fancy dress birthday party and announced that she wanted to be a princess with a plaited hair crown. I can't say the plaiting was the moment, but seeing her face when I'd finished was:

 

Later, Little Man had his music lesson. It's a bit of a battle really, as he isn't the world's keenest pianist. Anyway, he played a piece (with both hands) perfectly (a rare occurrence!), until the very last note when he went wrong. He realised immediately and giggled and I was so proud of him.

When we got back Little Miss and Big Man were still at the party. Little Man and I made chocolate chip cookies while the bolognese sauce I was making for dinner gently bubbled on the hob and filled the air with delicious smells. Judging from the number that have made it to the end of the day, these won't last as long as I'd hoped:
 

Then we all tramped up Wittenham Clumps where we collected sticks, leaves and seed pods for Little Man's art project at school next week:








Little Man wasn't in the best of moods when we got home, probably because he needed feeding the second we walked through the door, but anyway he went off into the garden and reappeared two minutes later with these,  saying 'sorry mummy':


I'm not sure tomorrow I will have as many moments, there's a mountain of ironing to do...

Sunday 19 September 2010

96 sleeps until Christmas...

Little Man is planning his Christmas list and we haven't had Bonfire Night yet!

I love this season, as the trees turn yellow, brown and orange, the nights draw in, the air turns crisp and Christmas is just round the corner.  There is only one thing I don't like  anymore and that is coming up with gift ideas for everyone.

I've been organising the present giving for so many years now that I have run out of inspiration, everyone's had the ornament, the socks and the soap that (for some reason) I thought they couldn't do without. So, if only to give me some inspiration, I've decided to try putting a few homemade presents this year.

My first effort has to be to finish this off for my brother and his fiancee:


She asked me to do it three or four year's ago but I never finished it, so with 96 days to go I'd better get busy!

Over the next few weeks I'll look for inspiration, and blog about it, any ideas gratefully received!

Sunday 5 September 2010

Sejour en Dordogne

I'm half French, so my whole family (except my brother) live in France. We;ve just spent two weeks there and I feel like I've regained my inner frog! Here's what we got up to...

La Roque Gageac


Canoe and picnic at the Chateau de Montfort


Rocamadour

St Cirq Lapopie