what global warming?

We had friends for lunch yesterday, on an another impossibly warm day and I picked a small bouquet for the table. If the flowers in this don't demonstrate climate change then what does? It's the 30th October, we haven't had the heating on yet, the back door is wide open all day long - yes we are hardier than many but it's really balmy, until the sun goes down. Today Georgia is off school for an inset day so we have been planting crocuses (her) and sweeping up leaves (me) plus I finally got some wallflowers and tulips in the bed by the front door, so it will stop looking so dreadful, plus an old tin bath full of winter pansies. Stan is sleeping and the house is quiet so a chance to catch up with the world of blog.

Life is about to get a whole load more complicated though as last week I was interviewed for a job, which I got! I am going to become a Knowledge Transfer Co-ordinator at the University College for the Creative Arts at Rochester - it will be a long skinny business card I think!! Now I have to begin the search for childcare to fit in with the kids three different days, two different schools and Stan just starting at playgroup!

autumn colour

A friend who saw the kids and I walking across the fields today said we looked like something out of a lifestyle magazine with our vibrant colours and a thoroughly country look about us. I think the praise for colour should go to the landscape which looked awesome today. My favourite light, super high tide bouncing it everwhere and all of the plants on the turn into autumn.

Stan has a room!

After two weekends shifting furniture around the place (Michael) and planning the decor (me) Stan has his own room, and therefore so does Raff again. I have to admit to being rather over emotional about it all. It seems quite something for Stan to be sleeping all alone for the first time in his life, and the end of babyhood! But since I was the one to push, weedle and nag for it, I can't be too tragic about it. Stan getting a room forms the primary plank of my master plan entitled "get the toys upstairs and reclaim the living room and dining room". So thus far it's looking good. Stan is in love with the idea of his own room and Raff loves the extra space, he has said " please don't let's put any things in here" - I think I may ruin his aspirations to be the next John Pawson when I explain the thing about all the toys coming to live upstairs! Michael now plans a trip to IKEA, ooh lucky us!
We will have been here for 4 years in January and I think it should be my goal to have painted the raw plaster and delightful tester paint patches all over the walls of our bedroom (sickly jade courtesy of previous owners!) which is our current decorative finish. M is going to make built in storage and then I think we should splash out on flooring - crazy! It's amazing to think what the domino effect of doing Stan's room could lead to....

Now we are 8.......

How do you go from this


to this


well via some of these...








Wow, what a beauty. Georgia, you make us sooooooo proud.

On the eve of Georgia's 8th birthday and therefore the 8th anniversay of our lives being transformed forever into one of chaos, love, mewling, bickering, joy and pain (and that was just her birth ha ha!!), it's a good time to reflect a little on what being a parent is all about. Somewhat serendipitously (if that is in fact a word) this week I received from Mum the letters which Granny Creek wrote to her parents, from India, which Rosemary has been typing up. They are facinating, engaging, full of detail and interest , but most strikingly to me, they have revealed how, whilst our methods of parenting and the lifestyles were very different from ours, the funadmental preoccupations of being parents haven't changed in the slightest. One of the funniest passages was,

"We took the family out, and it seemed to grumble and whine all the time. George said we’d better re-christen them “Lollipop”, “Gimme” and “I wanna”, or perhaps the first word should be added to both the second two, then Liza could be called “T’isn’t”. She’s in a beautifully contradictory stage nowadays of self-assertion, so everything anyone says must be the opposite according to her."

This could have been taken from anyone of our recent family scenes and Stanley would be Liza! He is in a stage which can be very trying as he says "T'isn't" or words to that effect to practically anything Raff says, without any malice or indeed having any idea what he is saying, but Raff takes it to heart and so answers a back and a circluar "tis/tisn't" goes on for hours!! We have tried to coach Raff to ignore him, but he does it by saying " Stan, you don't mean it, I'm going to ignore you" to which the reply comes "no you're not" " yes I am " etc etc etc !! aaaagh

To be fair they all bring us so much joy and pleasure as well as a pretty good dollop of frustration, but we wouldn't be without them. I'm getting soppy but there you go.

Here are the boys so they don't feel left out