Skywatch Friday - kings of the castle

This has been a week of birthdays - today my big boy is five (I'm stressing over the amount of people that are going to get wet at his party on Saturday if the forecast is right!). Last weekend there was a party at Stafford Castle, we took the chance to get out in the sun while it went on, have a picnic and let the boys run wild. Spot the pillaging son number 1 in the photo below!

OK the last one is not strictly a skywatch but there is natural light going on in there! To see some real(ly) beautiful skies visit Skywatch Friday.

Five years of unconventional thinking

"Second children frequently are less concerned with following rules. They prefer to go against the grain and to challenge conventional thinking. Your second-born child may push your rules to the limits."

You are a child of incredible highs and frustrating lows, there is never a dull moment when you are about. I'm not sure I recognise your public face though; school talk about a calm, hardworking, sociable little boy, "the best behaved in the class". You make me so proud that you push my rules to the limit but not the real world ones. Even at five you can tell what matters.

But stay being you and continue to ignore some real world conventional thinking rules - hoard mountains of elastic bands, hold onto the dark 'pink/purple secret', chose to wear checks with stripes, always take time to still notice the little things.

Love you to past space Bucksy xo

I've just found something about what it means to be five - these bits made me laugh. they are so true xo So here's Quote of the Birthday - "He is likely to run around a lot and play games in which he swings, dodges, stops and twirls round suddenly. He may enjoy skipping and cycling (still may not be able to do two wheels) and gymnastics, such as the dreaded hanging upside down from bars in the playground, which is terrifying "(I hold my breath every time).

"He will be able to understand humour such as slapstick on television and get verbal jokes, after they've been explained in mind-numbing detail. He may then repeat them and expect you to laugh like a drain. And then tell it again. He will also make jokes up himself although he has no idea what makes a joke so it won't even be close to being funny. Still, you're his mum, so you have to smile."

"This is the age of the sunny disposition, where he is keen to enjoy life and see the best in people."

Skywatch Friday - A week of volcanic sunsets

The Icelandic volcano has continued to spew ash into the sky, two great side effects - a husband at home and some amazing sunsets. The fly ban has been lifted completely now but hoping we get a few more red hot sunsets.

You don't need to find a plane to fly around the world to see what the ash has done elsewhere in the world - just visit Skywatch Friday

First date number 10 - Playlist of our life

We took a trip down memory lane last night. While eating a very healthy snack (carrots and caramelised onion houmous and coke - get us, a dry date!) we took it in turns to chose a song to listen to that would make up the ultimate compilation tape of our life. The result was:

Me: The Cardigans - Erase/Rewind. This reminds me of our honeymoon driving through the Mojave Desert in a car with no engine coolant.
He: red hot chili peppers - californication. The song of the next holiday driving in a convertible car down the Atlantic Highway
Me: Portishead - Glorybox. The song of being loved up.
He: Tim Deluxe - It won't do. The loved up song from when we thought that Patrick might be a good idea
Me: Van Morrison - Brown eyed girl. This is Anya's song
He: Anya Marina - Clean and sober. No - this is Anya's song
Me: Jack Johnson - Better together. This song made me go very mushy just after Patrick was born - so I think of it as his song.
He: Corinne Bailey Rae - Just Like a star. Good times in the new garden at Hixon
Me: Bellowhead - London Town. The kids first festival Cambridge 2009 - driving home in pink skies.
He: The She - Tom Pains Bones. First band seen at Cambridge
Me: Stevie Wonder - Living for the city. The song I wouldn't have liked unless I met him (ironically he doesn't really like it!)
He: Elastica - Vaseline. Punky Christof
Me: Pulp - Common people. Vodka dancing at the union
He: Foo fighters - Learning to fly. Our first house/ Commonside Close song
Me: Paolo Nutini - Pencil full of lead. Dancing around the kitchen song
He: Blind Melon - No rain. The one song he brought to the relationship which I liked!
Joint last one! Alison Krauss - You're the lucky one. We realised that Euan didn't have a 'his song' - This is it xo

I know this is a mamoth playlist but we love our music and could have gone on for hours.  Hope someone out there in cyberspace finds a song, new to them, to weave into their life.

Skywatch Friday - We're going on a deer hunt

We're going to catch a big one.

It's a beautiful day

We're not scare (well may be a little)

The day was the first coatless day of summer - very bright but hazy, making for nice silhouettes but very dull skies. Thanks the Warrens for a fun day and an even better night! On the way home we had this sky for company (took the mind off the hangover) - far more interesting and giving hope for more picnic weather days.

Fly around the world (in cyberspace - you won't be going anywhere in a plane locally here as thanks to an Icelandic volcano all flights are grounded - Tim is somewhere in Italy trying to get home by train, have a feeling we may never see him again!) and see lots of skies at Skywatch Friday.

Update - I'm wondering if the ash in the sky has helped with this sunset, taken a couple of minutes ago. Also had a travel update from Tim, he's now in France. Ferry booked for the morning, but Sea France don't allow foot passengers so he's going to have to get himself a push bike from somewhere!

Out with the old

and in with new shoes and haircuts all round

And, big drum roll, the haircut - first proper one for over a year. Hoping he'll allow a style next time!

First date number 9 - well that depends.....

We spent the weekend with friends having a lovely time. They asked if we were having a double 'date night' - this lead to a discussion on what a date is. We decided that although we had a brilliant night catching up, that it probably didn't count as a date.

It left me wondering exactly a date is.  Back to good old google - The Oxford English Dictionary says a date is 'a social or romantic appointment'.  Ah-ha - so the fun weekend was a social date, leaving us short of a romantic date night date.

Tim is once again jet setting (Genoa this week) - so we squeezed in a quick game of Would you rather (thanks to Tiffany for providing a simple and fun date). The idea is to pick two things to do and choose between them. For example would you rather eat a pound of chocolate or jump off a speeding bus - not all were as simple as this. The one that has us debating was:

We decided that even though our loos are a bit slovenly (apparently I don't clean them often enough - but that's a whole other debate) that in general the licking beats the eating. However, if it was our own personal loo then that would be OK. Tim was also coming around to the idea of chocolate coated insects (I was happy to use the vegetarian card!). Sorry for TMI but it was good to talk!

After a few lazy dates - will pimp the date for next week!

Skywatch Friday - Lording it

I can tell that it's April - one minute the sky is stone grey with sheeting rain the next it is vibrant blue. The lesson to be learnt this season - always layer when going out! This photo was taken at Warwick Castle - the princess and knight layers came in particularly handy.

Fly all around the world at Skywatch Friday and don't forget those layers.

Out on the hunt

We've hunted down every chocolate egg within grabbing distance. The egg business started with having to decorate one for school - my plan was to give them a boiled egg each and some paints. I should have been quicker off the mark as they had seen the massive creations (most that no child had ever been near) arriving at school and so they had higher expectations. I managed to pull together enough bits to do Anya's ladybird and Patrick's daffodil. They didn't win a prize but were happy taking their eggs in. (Bonnets next year - trying not to be drawn into the One-up parent thing but on the other hand I have a year to plan a stunner!)

We spent a very wet Good Friday at Warwick Castle - highlights were holding a real sword, dressing up as knights, losing Patrick (followed by Euan) at the top of a turret - returned by a nice Aussie lady, both very upset not because they were stuck but because the nice Aussie lady spoke to them, having the biggest ice-cream in the world in the 20 minutes of pure blue sky before we left.

We went to a friend's farm for their annual egg hunt - would be nice to return the favour but their gardens are just amazing. We stroked newborn lambs, had a sit on a pony, found piles of chocolate, ran egg races and gorged on homemade cakes. The perfect Easter.

Quote of the week - "We've got the weekend off because Jesus has gone back to heaven" ~ Patrick - see it's not all about the chocolate.

Thought of the week - "All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt" ~ Charles M. Schulz

First date number 8 - Getting on down

Date night this week happened by accident - we hadn't planned it but aren't the best nights always those that take you by surprise? I had Just Dance for the Wii in place of a great big Easter egg (although I admit to sneaking lots of the kids chocolate, so no need to worry about me going without).  Tim suggested trying it out and two hours later we were still going (when I say we, some were still going, others kept having a breather)

This is a brilliant game, the music is very retro and brought back some really good memories. It even had 'our song' on (Girls & Boys - Blur, note once again what a romantic couple we are, none of that slow soppy stuff). The only bad thing about the date was an inability to move my arms the next day.

Unfortunately we were so into doing our date that the photo part got forgotten again. I know one of the rules is no kids/no child photos, but rather than a boring wordy post, I thought I could re-enact the evening.  As Tim is currently in Norway I used Patch as a miniTim and Anya was photographer (but give her a camera and she always sneaks photos of herself in). So here are the X-rated photos for a feel of the date.....

Skywatch Friday - Nearly reaching the sky

This was taken (my posh new camera died and rubbish old camera turned itself black and white but you get the idea!) on our first outing of the year to Alton Towers Theme Park. Anya has had a good grow in the past year and is now big enough to go on lots of the big people rides! I have no problem going on them myself but my baby, that's a whole other story! The most scary moment for me was taking her on the Sonic ride below - she was screaming "I'm scared, I'm scared" all the way round - the moment it stopped she asked if she could queue to ride again!

Lots of other people all around the world have poked their cameras upward - go and see the results at Skywatch Friday

PS Ba Bags more photos to come - just need to sort them xo

Update - here they are

My big boy wishing he was slightly bigger

Mostly looking the right way!

HEEELLPPPP!!!