Friday, July 14, 2006

End of termitis

Can't believe I haven't posted since Raff's birthday but the last month has passed in a whirl of madness! Mostly school related as the kids have been participating in all of the exciting creative projects which the Summer term allows. They had a fabulous Arts Week the results of which were displayed at their Open Evening the week before last. I was blown away, as ever at the standard of work that the teachers and visiting artists manage to achieve with the children and when one remembers that they are all under 7 it's even more amazing. Raff's fantastic imagination really came to the fore and Georgia's studied approach resulted in a wonderful series of pieces based around relief print making.

On Friday of last week it was the schools annual summer fete, I promised myself I wouldn't go overboard but somehow managed to, making choc brownies, carrot cake and three types of fudge plus organising and running a lemonade stall with Georgia. She has long had an ambition to set up a stall outside our house selling old fashioned lemonade - an idea I think Michael sowed in her mind a couple of years ago. Every now and then she will disappear upstairs and produce signs and price lists with all sorts of marketing ploys - buy one bottle get another half price - free tasters "they're pricelist (sic)". We have never set out the stall because we're not sure that she would every get enough trade, but it occured to me that the fete would be the perfect outlet! So with Mum's cooking skills and Dad's signwriting plus G's enthusiasm - she even roped in friends to help, we finally did it - and sold out in an hour (and that was after I had juiced 40 lemons!!)

Then this week has been showtime with G taking part in a multi-school choir festival on Tues and Weds nights followed by spending a day at her new school yesterday and then a workshop performance by her Drama club alst night PHEW! Amazingly she has slept in on two mornings, so she must be tired!

This weekend I have to fulfil a promise from an auction at our school Valentine BAll, I put up my services to offer a 'stress free dinner party' and some crazy loons paid £350 for me - that doesn't include the ingredients. I have put together the menu and "poor old Michael" has been my guinea pig this week. They are having a goats cheese, tomato and basil roulade, followed by SeaBass on crushed new potatoes, roasted fennel and wilted spinach, and for pud, chocolate pots with almond tuiles and clotted cream!! I'm also doing a few nibbles and created a wonderful canape based on a salad I had for lunch one day this week - cubes of watermelon and feta cheese sprinkled with olive oil and roasted pumkin seeds. YUM! Stress free for them...not me!