Running running running...

I am feeling rather proud of myself as yesterday I did my first attempt of the full 5K and didn't die!!! Only 6 weeks or so to go and I can actually say that I quite enjoy running now! I remember David Coke telling me about how he would manage to tune out and almost meditate when running and whilst I got that from swimming I couldn't see it with running which I had always found such a struggle. Anyhow, I get it now - and perhaps because it's self imposed and because the solitude is so welcome, but I find my time plodding around the fields really good for the soul!
So, for all those of you who haven't sponsored me yet, please do, I'm over my half way mark and I will make it round the course! Thankyou!

Stan is 3!

What a fabulous day! We celebrated Stan's 3rd birthday today - some of us a 'leetle' bit tired from celebrating Nick's 40th last night! (Let's just say that going to bed at 3 and being woken at 6 is not ideal when planning for a houseful of 3 year old pirates!) But thanks to some great help from Aunty Jo we were ready for the invasion at 3pm of 5 small boys and a few other siblings to have a pirate tea party ( or if you are Stan that is a "poyrit" tea party - the East Kent accent is as strong as ever).
We had a very sedate present opening session after breakfast and he got some wonderful things

G gave him a new JCB lawnmower, he got the most amazing wooden truck from Pakistan, from Mum and Brian (pic to follow), which I had to put away when the hoardes came in-case it was over loved! Plus 2 new diggers from Raff. As each present was put before him he would say "wow, it's going to be a new Tonka Toy truck" - even if it was book shaped. He has a wonderful red tonka toy truck which he loves and so I asked him after the nth time of exclaiming "...it's going to be be a TT truck" why he wanted another and he replied " so that Raff can have one". If that doesn't bring a tear to your eye then nothing will!

Later in the afternoon as the tide came up boats started to come past and each one was met by a barrage of "AAAGh", "load the canons", " give us your treasure" etc which was hilarious! We must be getting to be quite famous in the local boating community - last year it was Raff and his superhero party terrorising the boats.

Towards the end of the afternoon Michael had a Jackanory moment and had all of the children captivated as he read to them, aah!

Here are more pics!

Easter

A few of the usual Easter scenes. We had a relaxed weekend with Yvon and Gerhild and a lovely Sunday lunch with a large part of the Creek clan, and of the course the children received their body weight in eggs!





One event at the weekend of particular note was Stan's marathon cycle ride all the way into the centre of Faversham and back again on his little wooden bike, quite awesome!

Race for Life

Please see the link on the right. I have embarked on a mad idea that I can run 5K on a hot Sunday in July to raise money for Cancer Research and get fit in the meantime. The training is going okay so I thought I should start telling people and more importantly asking you all for money. In light of what a total heroine Mum is and to honour her I hope everyone will help to make a huge contribution.
Thankyou.

Kenya

For those who don't yet know that Mum needs to be cannonised or given a knighthood (as it were) she has now truly surpassed herself. When life really all became too much for me earlier this year she announced that what we needed was a week in the sun, sans enfants and pretty much set out to ensure that we couldn't say no. So hats off, raise your glasses and three cheers for the absolutely best Mum in the world!

Michael and I got back just over a week ago from a week in the wonderful house in Diani where she has been going for a few years now. Right on the beach and with amazing weather we sunned ourselves, read loads, ate even more, snorkled, wandered along the beach and generally speaking had some real R&R

.

A different seat for each hour of the day - and that's only half of the terrace!

Meanwhile back on the farm, Stan got a feverish bug, Mum looked after them all and as if that wasn't enough of a challenge painted a wall in our dining room which has been unfinished for over 2 years, painted the bathroom ceiling and cleaned all the windows (plus much more). Brian when he arrived set to in the garden, replacing fence panels and sweeping up all the winter debris - there's more I am sure, but suffice to say that when we arrived home in the dark we could see that a transformation had taken place - it was like Ground Force without the irritating presenters and obligatory water feature.

February

I am put to shame by the wonderful blogs of Archie and Louis, they write so often and so engagingly, and I can't believe how long it is since I last posted. I had wanted to write about the fact that we had our first outside lunch of the year this year on the 3rd February!! How mad is that, a few days later it snowed and it has been unspeakably cold and miserable ever since. I am not sure whether I managed to get a picture even!

Other notable events this month include the chopping down - at last - of the dreadful leylandii which ran down the edge of the patio outside the kitchen.

The difference it has made to the light both inside and outside is fabulous. I have been busy digging up various plants from around the garden to create a mixed hedge to replace them, which will be kept at the height of the existing fence.
I was reviewing my postings from this time last year in which I promised Georgia more growing space and am proud to say I spent a long afternoon recently removing a huge shrub and loads of weeds from a bed at the bottom of the garden - I get there, eventually!!

Half term highlights centred around Penny coming to stay to help with the childcare - the kids had a ball with her and we loved spending time together - Georgia finally finished the wooden dragon which she started at Christmas - a project only made possible by the amazing patience of a wonderful Granny in the face of some pretty concerted bossing! Her royal loveliness also finally had a haircut - and doesn't she look beautiful!

Since our trip to Bodiam castle Raff has developed a passion for all things Knights/Castles so I whipped up a tabard, shield and sword which he loved. He made a wonderful castle out of Lego yesterday which has been archived - Michael's new project to record some of the wonderful things Raff creates.

This weekend Nick and the boys, followed by Clare, Richard, Ben and Dexter came down so it was fun filled and action packed. We managed to get out for a walk at Seasalter on Sunday which was lovely if a little cold and bleak - roll on summer!

Michael and I have a VERY exciting treat coming up to raise the spirits! We are off to Kenya to Diani for a week, courtesy of a lovely fairy grandmother, for a holiday without the sprogs! The pictures will I am sure be somewhat brighter than these beach scenes!

My birthday cake

I made a cake and let the kids loose with the decorations - a collaborative affair!

Longer Days

Having endured a week of absurdly storng winds and rain - we lost a couple of fence panels, today was gloriously sunny and calm. Raff had finaly made it to the final square of his star chart (slightly engineered by us obviously!), in which is a picture of a castle. So we headed off to Bodiam Castle which I feel sure I must have visited as a child as it is so close to Battle and not far from Wally Hall, but I don't remember it at all. It is however the perfect castle to take a knight obsessed boy to as it just looks so text book- moat, square plan with a tower on each corner, portcullis etc etc.


We had great fun climbing up and down the vertiginous spiral staircases and popped out of the tops of a few. I suddenly realised why Mum hated taking us up the Chateaux near Soulatge and it dawned on me that I am not sure I ever want to take the kids to Peyrepetreuse, my heart was in my mouth all the time and Bodiam has probably been thouroughly risk assessed and poses none whatsoever!

Flowers on December 23rd

nasturtium rose
calendula candytuft

winter viola sunflower! and canterbury bells
cornflowerrambling rose
periwinkle

This will be out of synch dates wise unless I can change it around, but I captured these pics of things flowering in the garden on the 23rd of December - most of them shouldn't be!

Festivities

Here I am at the end of the festive fortnight. There's too much to write about everything but the highlights .

We left here on the 24th for lunch with Katy and Kev which was delicious, the big kids had their own private table with fabulous choc mousses for pudding!

Then on to Nick and Geo for a couple of nights and lots of wonderful food. It was the first time we had seen we had seen their great new kitchen which is such a great family space. Nick cooked a wonderful Christmas lunch helped by his beautiful assistant - we need the secret recipe for that amazing mash please!

All 7 of the Gibson cousins were together on Christmas Day for the first time in years,

with a very proud Grannie Annie!

Memorable moments included Stanley's appreciation of the wonderful Gingerbread house Mum had made - he particularly liked the roof tiles whilst Raff went for the walls!!

Boxing Day and a trip to Kew Gardens where they had an outdoor ice rink in a beautiful setting, All of us except Stan could go on the ice - although Raff wasn't convinced and came off fairly quickly! Skating with him was a bit like holding a very slippery piece of elastic! Georgia was really beginning to get the hang of it by the end and would love to go again.

Suitably worn out we then loaded them into the car to drive down to Devon and this time even Georgia managed to sleep (on her brother!) so it wasn't too arduous.

Our days in Devon were mostly spent doing nothing much but eat and sleep which was fabuously idle, we caught up with David who had fun with Raff and met Lucie, David's girlfriend, who he proposed to the next day; so now we have to see if we can make it to the States later in the year?

We also had a big Somerville gathering with a huge feast and much jollity, the boys discovered they go in a loop around the house as it has two staircases!

Georgia and Penny had some time in the studio which was lovely, making a wooden dragon - only 78 more pieces to go girls!

Then back home for New Years Eve which this year we spent at Polly and Simon's with Rutty and Anna, great fun and pretty late! Only to be capped off by our annual New Years Day open house which started at 12 and ended at 8.30 pm when the last guests left. I was absolutely shattered which has rather undone all the good resting in Devon. Hey ho! Back to work tomorrow and I hope to really begin to get my teeth into the job. There's still so much to sort out not least a desk/computer/phone etc etc. Watch this space because I am going to give it another month or so and then start looking for somewhere that might appreciate me!

I think I may have failed to mention the single most exciting thing that happened at Christmas and that was my new Digital SLR camera. Hooray for Michael I can now get back into some proper photography!

Looking back over these few pics all I can say is what a smiley time we had!