Is it nearly Christmas yet?

and other questions I've been asked this week.

Q. Mummy, can we buy one?

A. Yes, as long as it fits in your pocket.

Q. Can I have a sweetie now?

A. You can have one after we've bought some.

Q. Why can't I go to bed at the same time as you?

A. Because I need some me time to drink half a bottle of wine and raid your sweetie jar.

Q. Do I look beautiful, mummy?

A. Always, my princess.

Q. Will it be cold, mummy?

A. Not very cold, no. 

Q. Why can't we have that trolley? *points to the 8th trolley back from the end*

A. Because you can only put vegetables in that one.

Q. Why don't you sit on the sofa the same way I do?

A. Because mummy's bottom is too big.

We have also been preparing Christmas lists. And counting sleeps till Christmas Day. 

Q. Is it time for them to go back to school yet?

Now click along and visit The Boy and Me.

Scaling new heights of meh-ness

What's worse? 

The mad frenzied flurry of pre-holiday preparation, where favourite t-shirts are retrieved from under beds and quickly laundered, where you squeeze two weeks of work into one and where websites are scoured looking for in car boredom busting games for a family of 5 travelling for 5 hours?

Or the slump that follows the excited ripping open of holiday boxes of fudge, the laundry bin being consumed by every pair of underpants we possess, and the startling absence of inspiring views and excited children for daily photos. 

No I'm not sure either. 

So I apologise for the meh-ness that is this week's 365 project. 

Last inspiring view from holiday. Where will we go on the meh scale from here? Higher or lower?

I think the Wee One peeling carrots is pretty well at the top of the scale but you never know. Higher or lower?

Lower. Princess snatched a few minutes of fun with the rc car while the boys were distracted. Now, higher or lower?

Higher! This, ladies and gentlemen is an abstract, filter enhanced, bedside lamp shot at 23.57. Yep, new giddy heights. Higher or lower?

Fractionally lower I'd say but only courtesy of a sticking out tongue.

A good deal lower on the meh scale but only because, ironically, the Big One and friend climbed higher.

And to finish off the week, high on the meh scale, a shopping list. The last 5 items were added by the Big One perhaps sensing the general meh-ness and providing a solution.

May all your weeks be meh free!

Now click along and visit The Boy and Me.

Five On Tour

We've been on tour.

Well technically a tour would suggest multiple locations so perhaps the hashtag I chose to use on Instagram wasn't very well thought out. But #fiveonholiday doesn't have the same cache as #fiveontour so I repeat, we've been on tour.

Wales was our location of choice, specifically Porthmadog in the North West and overlooking the Snowdonia National Park. Can I just say, "Stunning scenery!" 

But can I also just say, "Changeable weather!"

There was bonding over crabbing in the harbour, and a sunset BBQ with friends. That sand gets very cold once the sun goes down, but standing on the spot where the BBQ fizzled out is a lovely way to warm the toes. Top tip right there. 

Beaches played a key role as did the rocks over which the Wee One leapt without a thought for his paranoid mother.

And then we went to a couple more beaches just to be sure we filled the beach quota. And filled the car with sand.

Today I went back to work, Misty Moo was collected from her doggy holidays and all the possible washing machine hours were fully utilised. And we all said what a lovely time we had.

Now click along and visit The Boy and Me.

7 Reasons to love where I live

The summer break has so far been spent within 10 miles of our front door.
We are very lucky in that we like where we live or this week could have been a bit of a drag!

Here are 7 reasons to love where we live:

Actually here are 100 reasons to love our manor this week. 100+ Aston Martins in the shadow of our favourite house in the county, Burghley House.

The Wee One out did himself by having a tantrum in the middle of the grand circle of astonishingly luxurious cars, shouting and screaming that he wanted to buy one. Explaining he only had £1.27 in his piggy bank did little to appease him. On sympathetic owner kindly explained that it had taken him 50 years to save up for his Aston Martin so if the Wee One kept saving his pocket money, maybe he could buy one by the time he is 50 too.

The stone that prevails through Stamford and the evocative doorways, hinting at a mysterious past.

You can be a champion cheerleader and gymnast in a small town where there aren't many cheerleaders or gymnasts! She did brilliantly even though the competition wasn't exactly hot.

That sky, that view and nothing but a hedge to spoil it.

We make our own sherry. No, we don't but the weather has been so perfect in our little micro climate that a chilled sherry as I was working one evening made perfect sense.

The county is pretty flat which makes learning to ride a bike that little bit easier. By the way, she taught herself to ride a bike on Friday in a friend's garden. She went from not even wanting to sit on a bike, to one lesson with Daddy with a reassuring grip on the saddle, to riding the full length of the garden unaided. Seriously, how does that even happen?

The town is so small that I have taken a photo of every single view, except this one. It was going to be a view of the sky, but the Wee One wanted a selfie and then I photobombed my own shot!

Next week is another week of being local tourists in between working. That is until Saturday when we will be Wales-bound. Cannot wait!

Now click along and visit The Boy and Me.

Silent Sunday