3652 Days!

On Wednesday 19th it was Steve and my 10th wedding anniversary! Grandma and grandpa were kind (stupid?) enough to offer to look after the kids - we took them at their word and booked two nights in Keswick before they could change their minds! We stayed at The Grange, a very nice B+B about 10 minutes walk from the centre. When we were students we quite often camped just up the road and both remember walking past thinking it looked like a nice place to stay!

We spent a fab three days without using the car but pottering about, having a pint when we fancied with nowhere we needed to be or needed to do! We did find a few people rather inconsiderate as they had not had the forethought to leave their kids at home but I suppose it can't be helped. ;)

On Thursday we set off (after a substantial and rather yummy) breakfast to walk round Derwent Water and up Catbells. We didn't do this route as we walked from the B+B around the other side of the lake, stopped for a quick coffee before cutting across the bottom end of the lake to Manesty and up Catbells from that end. We walked along the ridge and back down into Portinscale and back to Keswick. It was around 11 miles and took us just over five hours.

It was perfect walking weather except for the few minutes we were around the peak when it got wet and windy! We were both expecting to be crippled for a day as it's a few years or so since we last did any walking of note but amazingly we felt fine. It was a much welcome break though I think we could do with another to get over this one!

Welcome Lucy and Ned!

We have two new additions to our family, Lucy (white bib) and Ned, eight-week old kittens. :)

When Mog died we didn't want to get another cat - she was too perfect and we knew it would be difficult to find anyone to fill her paws! But over the summer a friend's cat had kittens and we ummed and ahhed about whether to get one. We thought so long about it that they all got taken.

Anyway, we decided that we missed having a pet, so when a friend told us her neighbour had a litter of kittens needing homes, we jumped at the chance to take one in. I went round and chose Lucy - she was very inquisitive and happy to be handled and seemed perfect. The next time I called round to check how she was doing, one of the other kittens who they thought they'd homed, Ned, was 'back on the market'. After a little more umming and ahhing we decided that two was better than one - less likely to be bored and lonely and they help each other groom, etc. so here we are.

So far they are a little nervous and spent most of the day behind the kitchen cupboards - Steve eventually prised the front off to get them out! I think Beth's a little disappointed that she hasn't managed to have a proper hold as they're just too jumpy. Hopefully by the end of the weekend she might be a little happier!

Apple Day 2011

Today was Apple Day in our village. The weather was polar opposite from last year and loads of people came out to play!

I spent the morning setting up and manning the apple bobbing and scarecrow making 'stalls' for the pre-school. They were pretty popular and we even had one daddy join in to show us how it was done, needless to say I managed to resist!

Gran and grandad came for the day and I think enjoyed themselves. The village hall had lots of stalls and there was an Apple Day recipe book for sale with samples of all the dishes to test, yum! My favourite bit, as with last year, was walking round the orchard scrumping apples off the floor to try - they have over 300 varieties so we were spoilt for choice.

I think we could have happily spent the afternoon sat on the grass, watching the world go by and sampling the 50+ different ciders on offer (though I suspect we might not have been able to get back up had we done this :)). A very enjoyable community day!

September Update

Wow, September gone already!! Managed to cram lots in this month so just an overview or I'll be writing forever.

At the beginning of the month (Sept 6) , the kids were back to school/pre-school. Beth started in year one (grade one) and Toby went into his final year of pre-school before he starts reception (kindergarten) next September (how did that happen?!?). Neither had any problem settling back in although Beth has made rather a lot of comments that school is now rather hard. I think she's finding that there isn't quite the emphasis on play that there was last year, especially since she is in a mixed year one/two class (the school is pretty small with only 10 year two children and 20 year one kids - a total of 105 children in the whole school).

One of the first topics they are covering is toys. The homework last week was to set up a toy shop and practice making up the correct amounts for the cost of each toy. You can see the shopkeepers ready for their customers. I can't help but feel a little dread every time I see Beth's pink homework book as I know that it'll mean homework for me too!

Shortly following that, on Sunday 11th, was the village gardening show. As a new member of the gardeners association I thought I'd dive right in and enter a few bits from the veg patch. It made me realise that I have rather a long way to go . . . The classes I entered in were runner beans, cabbage, longest runner bean, three-veg selection and onions. I probably should have entered in the disaster vegetable instead! It was very interesting to look at everyone's produce and chat with them. I found that two men tend to win everything every year - one works in the gardens of a large estate and the other is retired and grows stuff specifically for shows.

I guess as someone just throwing things in the ground and hoping something will pop up, I didn't do so bad! I was at the veg patch yesterday watering the newly planted onions and garlic and had a look at what's still 'producing'. We still have runner beans, dwarf French beans, beetroot, cabbage, baby sweet corn, butternut squash, tomatoes and onions (of which we have 70 left in the ground as I have no where to put them to dry out!). We also have brussel sprouts nearly ready, purple sprouting broccoli (though I'm not quite sure what it's doing) and parsnips getting bigger by the day. I'm happy with that!

Keeping on the subject of producing your own food, the pigs made an escape at the beginning of the month. It seems the battery for the electric fence got a little weak and the pigs took advantage of it, pushed through that then using their snouts, pushed out one of the massive fence posts and off they went. Unfortunately for them they ran two miles down the road and ended up at a pig farm - very bad luck! After some repairs to the fences, they were brought rather unwillingly back home. After that little escapade, their meeting with our freezer has been brought forward - think they will be going to their new home a week on Monday.

We meant to use the summer holidays to catch up with all our friends in the far corners of Britain. Unfortunately we didn't quite manage it and a couple of our rendezvous spilled over into September. So, on Sunday 18th we went to Chatsworth House and Gardens to meet up with my friend from University, Holly and her family (hubby, son Rafferty and step-daughter Naomi). We were lucky and got a sunny day rather than the forecast rain. We decided not to go into the house as three young children and lots of breakables don't always mix!

As it turned out, the gardens were plenty big enough to fill a day. There was a maze which Toby managed to get us out of very quickly - he ran off and we had to run to catch him or else he might have been lost for a while but he picked all the right turns! There was also a cascade waterfall, rock garden, kitchen gardens (I could have spent ages in there!) and lots of sculptures. Among the sculptures were two by Damien Hirst; the one in the photo is called 'Legend' and was created this year. Have to say that I wasn't overly fussed by it - looked quite nice in the setting but just wasn't my kind of thing, sorry Damien!

Last weekend, Sunday 25th, we went to Eureka in Halifax (about an hours drive away) to meet up with cousins Adam and William. We have talked about going for a while but never quite made it but it was definitely worth the trip. Although some of the concepts were above Beth and Toby's level, there was plenty for them to do. I didn't take many photos as the light wasn't great and we were just too busy playing. :) I think we'll go back again at some point, perhaps when Beth is doing some school project and we can't quite pull an explanation together - Eureka can answer all her questions. :)

All our trips are just about shared with the exception of one this past Wednesday when Toby and I went to Sherwood Pines and met up with a childhood friend of mine, Sarah, and her two children Abigail (same age as Toby) and Charlotte (six weeks old). I was a little unsettled by how obsessed Toby was with Charlotte - he just wanted to stroke her cheek and cup her face in his hands. He was also desperate to hold her but there just wasn't a soft and bouncy enough place! I did wonder if a request would come in for a new brother or sister but when I asked Toby if he would like that, he just laughed and said "That would be silly!". Very glad to see we're on the same page. The kids had a great time clambering on the tree trunks, climbing up the giant mushrooms and eating ice cream. Beth was more than a little put out that she wasn't allowed to miss school and come with us, don't blame her, I know where I'd rather be!

Thought I'd just finish off with a salute to our very hot weather this week. On Friday and Saturday, in our garden it reached 29 degrees C/84 degrees F - not bad for October, we even broke out the paddling pool. :)