The days are getting longer...

Looking back over the past two years this has always been a tricky time of the year for me - if I compare it to the same time last year I am astonished at how low I had got as now it barely seems possible. So, I had a lovely birthday. It started with a pile of presents with my tea in bed, then a walk on the beach with my friend Lesley and our dogs followed by posh breakfast in Whitstable. Then lunch at a friend's with a botttle of bubbly - almost late collecting Raff from schools! Later the kids, with Michael (or should that be the other way around) made a lovely chocolate cake - which we are still eating. M then cooked me rib eye steak and fat chips with a Bearnaise sauce (no, not from a packet!) and then on Friday night we went to a new Japanese restaurant in Canterbury for sushi. I no longer have to get my fix at Victoria station! No one could ever doubt the importance food plays in my life...!

This weekend I have had an absolutely uplifting weekend in the garden, bright sunshine for 2 days straight so lots of winter tidying and sorting, alot of pruning, with my very cool birthday present loppers! Buddleia to no-buddleia in 5 minutes, shredding and the compost heap turned too! So much is starting to emerge; all the usual bulbs, irises etc and the buds are swelling. It's amazing what a huge difference it makes to my soul to see the garden coming alive again, and the kids have spent most of the weekend outside - last night they were there after sundown, biking and scootering around.

Last weekend we had Katy and the sprogs down and the pictures that follow are from then. Stan spent all week telling me how his best friend in the whole world is Polly "because she follows me around everywhere!"

Lizzie

The 'big' cousins

Raff being mad!

Finny enjoying the Seasalter mud

Katy

Polly

Georgia

Raff's fish - he didn't catch it, but he wanted to 'keep it forever' until I explained about the smell!

Winter Nagden

It's for shots like this that we live here really!

Half term treat

We had a fab trip at half term - to Calais for the day with Polly, Frank and Noah. There was a special offer on P&O and Michael - or 'keeper of the purse' - decided that we could easily recover the cost of the ticket on cheap wine - not sure his sums included lunch and the exorbitant coffee on the ferry, but there you go!

It was a pretty grey day, but not choppy so a good crossing. We had a great time - explored a Napoleonic Fort, looked at the wonders of Calais (not many!) and had a good lunch, then off to Auchan to fill up with goodies followed by a trip to the beach at Sangatte - miles of beautiful sand.

The kids had great fun and so did we - may become a regular thing?

Pretty scarey!!

Here are my usually delightful and significantly more attractive children looking frightful!

Oh my goodness she's 9!

A few days late - but life has been hectic.

Georgia is 9 - where did that year go- and whilst we're wondering, where did the other 8 go too?


What a beautiful girl - well I would say that..

We had a very grown up celebration this year - no party games for this crowd. Lunch at Wagamama for G and three friends followed by shopping for sparkly glittery things in Claire's Accessories.


There was lots of skipping and trying on stuff and I think they had a ball.

The boys made a cake while we were out, but we had to have it the next day as it all got a bit late -

I think it's safe to say Raff adores his big sister and it was made with love!

Smashed up Beach Huts and Wild Horses

Last weekend saw the latest mad instalment in the life of our beach hut. Earlier this year Mum, Brian, Michael and I had fun and games putting up the hut in gale force winds and last October Gavin and Michael had to take it down with the sea around their feet and waves crashing over the landrover. I decided this year to thoroughly investigate the tide tables and weather forecast to ensure everyone's safety. The boys were pretty surprised then to find the scene of devastation shown below.

Our hut is normally on pitch 97 and faces the sea!

Apparently the combination of a Spring tide and very strong winds the day before had resulted in lots of broken huts, some even washed down the beach. Our hut, whilst not broken was full of seaweed. Now we really understand why they have to come down in the winter! Unfortunately, I think we won't be having the hut next year, it has become an expensive treat especially since the rent for the plot is doubling next year. So this is the end of the beach hut saga!

On Sunday Louise George and Flora came down, and as ever we managed lunch outside! It seems they always bring the sun.

We went for a long walk out to the sea wall after lunch to see the recently installed wild Konik ponies which are amazing; very tame and not bothered by Mouse at all.

The other big event was Raff learning to ride his bike without stabilisers!! Hooray for Raff

Wonder-Dad

I find cooking with the children very stressful - something about relinquishing control of my domain!!? So I have huge respect for lovely Michael who embarked on pasta making with the kids a few weekends ago. The results were really tasty - and I think he only burst a few minor blood vessels keeping his cool!

Festival fun

Summer came back just in time for us to go the The End of the Road Festival. We had tried to persuade a few people to come with us but I think the previous months' rain put them off, so it was just our Wilcox brood who braved it.

As it turned out we had glorious sun - although the nights were pretty chilly! It was fantastic and we will be going again next year. The hi-lights have include the band who dedicated a song to Stan " the little guy who keeps on dancin" and the mad Swedish band with massive pink balloons.
Check them out here

There were only 5000 people there and loads for the kids - Georgia learnt to walk on stilts - she even passed her stilt test which allowed her to go it alone!

So come on all you lot, come with us next year!

Nagden life goes to Devon

Or should it be titled - Nagden life gets eerily quiet!
Post Dorset camping weekend all three sprogs were abandoned in the campsite by their parents for a week of wonderful Granny Penny time in Sandford. It is understood, from my sources, to have been an all round wonderful week. One of the highlights has to be making some glass in GP's studio. Here are some pics of the work in action, and I will add some of the installed artwork...when it installed, just need to find some fishing line.

Fantastic free food

The pallourdes were just a start! We have well and truly got the bug for free food! Just back from a wander in the woods where we gathered loads of plums and damsons from some groaning trees in the copse near our house. The previous day Raff and I had gathered blackberries, more damsons and elderberries. So I had fun in the kitchen and have so far made, elder and blackberry jelly, plum pie and damson sorbet - seriously yummy recipe from Monty Don book. Plus there is a big bowl of plums left over on the table.


Soon the wild apple trees out on the sea wall will be ready to pick, and this may be the year that we learn about foraging for wild mushrooms.

Dorset camping

After just 5 days back at home we were off again to Dorset for Penny's birthday bash - a big family camp out at Burnbake www.btinternet.com/~burnbakecampsite which is on the Isle of Purbeck near to Studland Bay.

The cousins' breakfast..

Fab site and close to a great beach with a small cafe where your tea was served in mugs, on trays for you to return and where they even had deckchairs, windbreaks, kids toys and buckets to borrow on an honour system, amazing in this money money world - even the kids lollies were organic and only 50p!

We had a wonderful day there on Saturday followed by a barbecue with proper camp fire and toasted marshmallows.

It was such a great weekend and the kids (especially Georgia and Fintan) will certainly remember it for a long time. Michael was absolutely thrilled to discover that the beach - South Beach on Studland Bay - seemed ripe for a bit of cockling. The difference between France and England was amazing (no-one cockling all sunbathing!), within minutes of looking he had found some whoppers and within a pretty short time had collected 2 buckets full - Finny was an excellent apprentice. So as a starter before the fabulous lamb that Kev cooked we cooked them up, mariniere style. They could have done with a longer soak to degrit, but most of the family tried them and some even enjoyed them - especially Finny who ate them with real gusto! Now Michael wants a decent weekend so we can go and check out Minnis Bay. Foraging is his new favourite hobby!
Nick, Victoria and Joel joined us for one night - much to the kids delight. Joel proved to be a fantastic hobby horse, play mate and gatherer of fire wood.

Raff has always had a soft spot for Nick, so loved playing Frisbee on the beach, and then was suitably amazed and detighted to be able to mess about on Kev's new monster motorbike.

Lizzie is clearly now a seasoned camper - having already been to the Big Chill, and we all loved having cuddles with her.

Sunday was Penny's birthday - and who doesn't celebrate it without cake, fizz and two bottles of pickled onions from the local beer festival! (could the presence of Kev have anything to do with this?)