Another day another walk.
This time - pay attention - at dawn. Yes DAWN. As in virtually still night time, cold and dark.
No 2 and his GoPro (I swear he loves that thing more than his parents) had the 'need' to take sunrise photos.
And so we went. Because I'm nice. Also because the sunrise is at 8.14am... so really... I don't deserves such a big medal after all.
It was actually really beautiful.
And chilly.
And spectacular.
And back home by 8.30am.
Good start.
Contrary to what I said yesterday... I didn't go to`IKEA today.
Just couldn't face it.
It was sunny and crisp, a perfect winter's day.
So we went for a walk...
.... with:
- a winging teenager.
- a cold pre-teen that didn't listen to his mother and didn't wear enough clothes
- cold hands, mine, because had to lend my glove to aforementioned cold pre-teen
- an excitable dog
(my parents)
(woolly cow)
(us)
We then went home and had hot chocolate and biscuits.
All's well in the world.
Merry Christmas to all of you wonderful people!
I'm going to go AWOL for a while and enjoy a quite (ha ha) time with family and knitting and inappropriate quantity of food. I'm looking forward to Christmas (now that the central heating has been fixed... doh...) and beginning a new year with my nearest and dearest.
This time of the year always goes by so fast, I really want to slow down and enjoy it.
You do that too ok? Promise?
Go go go.... turn your computer off and breath out...
It's better already right?
See you in 2017.
In my mind I wrote lots of blog posts.
In my mind I wasn't absent at all... I wrote about frost and beautiful silver landscapes.
I wrote about Christmas shopping and asked your help on presents for an 11yr old who wants 'surprises'.
I wrote about a gorgeous chilli recipe I found, a recipe that for once was enjoyed by all the family (if I ignore that No 1 patiently removed every single kidney bean in his plate)
I wrote it all down. In my head.
Honest.
Cross my heart and hope to die.
Pinky swear.
But seriously. I've been busy. Busy doing stuff and in actual fact I have finished a quilt, and a pair of mittens, and have wrapped all the presents that are in the house bar the three that have been delivered this morning.
The Christmas cards writing marathon will begin soon but first I need to finish my fight with the laundry that threatens to kill me lately.
And we need food. Food shopping is one of those things that can't be postponed for too long I find. Most annoying.
We have a tree and it's gorgeous... and mahoosive... although it's shedding needles like mad and I'm really worried it won't reach the 25th. I love having the lights twinkling away in my peripheral vision. I can live without Christmas music... but not without the tree!
Mr M make me a gorgeous advent calendar: He's a keeper.
Mr M and I have been to party last Friday, rare occurrence, and had lovely food and nice chats and were entertained by Elvis. Quite scary actually. He took it waaaaay too seriously. And should have done his suit up a little higher. Just saying.
I put a few things in my Easy shop. (I'll throw in a free delivery if you're interested...)
We have decided to take turn choosing a 'family' activity each Sunday afternoon in order to consciously spend more time together rather than simply in the same house and passing each other like ships in the night or meeting only at the dinner table. (And moan about red kidney beans then).
When it was my turn I dragged everyone to see Magical Beasts and where to find them. Mr M fell asleep. No 2 and No 3, mad HP fan found it a little boring (it is a tad slow). No 3, who really didn't want to come, who has never seen/read HP books... loved it. Go figure.
Yesterday No 2 took us all bowling. I lost. Both games. I think I might have to secretly practice when they're at school!
Mr M is going to put everyone through a showing of Christmas Lampoon with Chevy Chase. A classic.
No 1 is still thinking about it.
No 3 wants to go Ice skating. Oh boy. That will be interesting.
I'll keep you posted.
I gotta go now. But I'll be back. And not only in my mind.
When we moved into our new home the boys got new beds. Big boys' beds.
Big boys' beds which are still too small when your first born passes the 6'1" mark... but that it's a story for another time.
Today let's talk about his new quilt.
When I asked No 1 if he'd like me to make him one for his new room his reply was: "if you want". Given his age (15) and the raging teenage hormones I took that as a "yes mum I'd love you too" and got to work. Delusional? Me?
It took a while.
Life got in the way.
Then I decided to do a lot of heavy quilting on it...
That took even longer.
And then when I finished it I didn't take pictures... and what you're getting today it's a bit of a mess. Basically old photos on my phones and me chasing the light around the house with nobody to hold the damn thing up for me.
So... the bottom half looks like this:
The top half (upside down... just turn your monitor please...)
And when it's on his bed (bad light, messy room... you really don't know what was out of view... sigh) is like this:
Or sometimes like this (as you can see he doesn't mind which way it goes... #whydoIbother...
Or you can hang it crookedly from the top of the wardrobe and it looks like this:
I used all the blue fabric/scraps I had and it was a lot of fun to make. I tried not to over think it and reign myself in a bit...
and for the quilting I tried to match the tread to the fabric... with a little of variegated fun thrown in the mix. I like doing my own quilting but by the end I would have gladly paid somebody to do it for me.
Yesterday I bought wadding for three finished quilt tops... watch this space.
Randomly on a Wednesday:
I finished Bruce's autobiography. Brilliant Book. Fair enough I might be a teensy weensy bit biased but I really enjoyed it. I made me re-listened to a lot of music I hadn't listened to for years and years.... It was quite... grounding for want of a better word. Like it tightened the connection between my younger, free/dreaming self and my middle aged (let's not kid ourselves here), mother/wife/housewife self.
I am but one an only.
I don't like biography but weirdly and the only three I've ever read have been of musicians: Keith Richards, book club choice. I'm not a Rolling Stone fan, and the one of the crazy singer dude of the Red Hot Chilly Pepper, and I don't like their music either, maybe the book was a present? They were both vaguely interesting in a 'they're-life-could;t-be-more-different-from-mine kind of way.
Mr M and I have finally and very belatedly joined the "homeland" fandom. I think it's safe to say we're obsessed. We watched two or three episode a night... We're only half way series 3 so DON'T say anything. Please.
I've finished No 3's quilt and I'll try photographing it later... I need his 6'2" height to hold it up... and as you know teenagers are not always collaborators, not when 'he's playing a competitive and he'll get banned if he stops'. Whatever. Bloody computer games.
I've started de-constructing the indigo dyed vintage quilt:
The hideous background who didn't take the colour as it's obviously synthetic needs to go and be replaced. It's quite a slow process but I like the fact I'm in no rush and can unpick a little bit now, a little bit later... It's meditative in an otherwise frantic day to day.
I almost don't want to do it quickly.
First day of half-term for us today. It's 9.40 and the boys are all still in bed.
They also brought home their school reports. Some take things less seriously than others:
It's Autumn... and people have started losing stuff:
So yesterday...
Drove the kids to the school bus, drove back, cleared the kitchen, filled the dishwasher, made my bed, emptied the drier, emptied the washing machine, filled the drier, filled the washing machine.
Took my big car to be serviced and got a tiny car in return for the day which was soooooo hard to get in and out after the double exercise classes of yesterday it wasn't funny at all.
Not one bit. I must have looked like a right idiot taking 45 seconds each time
Ridiculous.
Then I went to the supermarket because apparently the universe might have imploded without Nutella for another day... obvs.
Then I drove to school (45 min of roadworks) to pick up No 3 and take him to the specialist for his back. He's fine. He'll live. He's most excited to have an MRI scan in a couple of days. Weird child.
Then I drove him back to school (45 min of roadworks) and did my 'Italian lesson' to the pupils and teachers who are going to Florence next month.
Then I grabbed (figuratively speaking of course) No 2 from the same school and took him (45 min of roadworks) to fracture clinic where they put him in a 'soft cast' which we'll be able to remove without supervision or doctor checking in 5 weeks.
MMmmmmmhhh.
What if it's not fixed? of badly fixed? or not fixed enough?
The doctor did NOT look like a doctor. I know, I know I shouldn't judge a book by its cover... but I've seen bin men dressed smarter. Call me old fashioned, but... sweaty forehead and creased t-shirts? Yuck.
Sigh...
Then I dropped him back home and I drove to the bus stop to pick up the other two.
Back home for home cooked Bolognese pasta (... she says smugly)... and THEN back to school for a meeting (45 min of roadworks).
I was dead.
The dog didn't get walked, but I did remove my make up before bed.
And I did finish the book... which is totally brilliant until the last two pages then... well I'd like to say it's genius and I just don't get it... but actually it's probably just wrong and nonsensical and the author had lost the plot...
Read it and let me know what you think. I'm seriously interested.
The highlight of my day:
... the Boss...
Sigh.
No 2 broke his arm yesterday, on the 2nd minute of his 2nd rugby match of the season. Buckle fracture, cast and no contact sports for 6 to 8 weeks.
It is going to be fun.
Not.
He's already bored out of his mind, and we're only a day into the sentence... it totally feels like a sentence... for me... you have no idea what it's going to be like to have No 2 off sports. It will be ugly..
I took him and No 3 for a quick ran around on top of the hill. It was windy and crispy (bloody cold actually) and he chilled out a little.
Did I mention he also broke a window this afternoon?
Oh yes.
Apparently he was trying to open it and it was stuck and his knee slipped, .... I know... don't ask... why was a knee involved? I really don't want to know, I'm trying to be all zen about it.
He was sorry.
And to be honest... he's had a pretty horrid week... his favourite art teacher resigned, he broke his arm and then the window... I couldn't go heavy on the lad.
It was a beautiful evening and the wind definitively blew away all the cobwebs.
Now I'm waiting for the chicken to cook with a glass of white wine by my side... here's to a better week to come!
Cheers.
Tonight No 1 is going to a party invited by a friend he hadn't seen in four months, taking place in a less than salubrious part of town (from which I then have to pick him up late even though they thought walking back was perfectly fine....)... and the party is called "neon party".
Should I be scared?
Am I irresponsible?
The naivety of 15yr old boys is at the same time charming and terrifying.
*
(from the series 'photos found on my camera': feet #1)
No 2's voice has cracked. The onion smell phase will soon begin if he follows his brother. Then there will be girls who appear from nowhere and scary parties and endless showers and over generous body spray administrations and moodiness and no speaking and I'm not ready for this AGAIN!
(from the series 'photos found on my camera': feet #2)
No 3 got his first phone today. He's as happy as a pig in *&%^. Seriously... he's so happy it's the cutest thing... and it's not a fancy one full of bells and whistle but he can do Instagram and maybe, just maybe, he'll be the one to unravel the mysteries of snapchat to me, something his older brothers have insofar refused to do. I'm too old and none of my friend have it anyway... apparently... and it would be weird.
(from the series 'photos found on my camera': foot #1)
I feel old.
And i'm trying very hard not to stare and weep at the grey roots on my head, thanking the gods my colourist apt is tomorrow so I can pretend I don't have grey hair (I wonder if she'll colour my eyebrows too? I noticed a couple of shining strands earlier when in the car. By the way... why is the car mirror so damned unforgiving? Evil thing.)
*amended: Mr M dropped them off. It looked innocent... lots of girls with very short skirts...
No further comments needed.
Sigh.
Some books change the world and make you dream and believe in magic.
Proof?
Today I took No 3 to the Harry Potter Studios near London... and we had a fabulous time... this is a boy who's not prone to flight of fantasy, he's sporty and has lots of friends, he's a practical soul with feet firmly planted in the ground... and yet.
Yet... yet, he devoured the books. He dreams of magical creatures and spells, and in a place which, let's face it, is actually there to explain how the on-screen magic was created and wasn't in fact real... he was a total believer. When he sat on a 'Nimbus 2001', wearing a black gown and staring at a tv screen with a fan in his face... he WAS flying. When he walked into that huge lunch hall his eyes were shining and excited like it was his first day at Hogwarts. When he held that (stupidly expensive) wand in his hand all the way home... he WAS making up spells.
Don't tell me that is not magic.
And there's always 'that' split second moment when you think you're really going to get through that wall... just once, by magic.
(no? just me? can't be...)
When he drank his (teeth shuttering sweet) glass of butterbeer... he WAS in the Leaky Cauldron and not sitting opposite me in a drafty coffee area with a trapped pigeon banging its head against the glass to get out.
And it wasn't down to the props or the set in front of him. Absolutely not. It was down to the books he's been reading till late at night for the past few months. Black words on white pages. Igniting dreams and creating visions. All this today was just the icing on the cake... proof almost that what he read was 'real'. Magically real.
I've been to see the Studios twice before and everytime there's something new to see... This time we could get a glimpse on an internal set of No 4 Privet Drive.
Very cool.
But my favourite part of all must be the model of Hogwarts Castle...
It gets to me every single time.
If you're a fan - muggle or wizard - you must go.
If you've already been... go again.
And JK? Thank you.
Recent Comments