Girls Day Out

Liam had a few days off work in half term, and so I left Sam and Leah with him, and took Megan for a girls day out into London. Our Merlin Passes include the London Dungeon - too scarey for Leah and Sam, so Megan and I headed straight for it.

Despite getting there early, there were huge half term queues, but we loved that we could queue in the MUCH shorter fast track queue. Even so, we had to queue for about an hour. Its okay though, 'cause we had company!

Photos aren't allowed in the Dungeons, but I can assure you that at times we were petrified! And we learned a lot! And screamed a lot! In fact, we both loved it and can't wait to go again...but not with Leah and Sam - much too scarey - but maybe with Vicky and Leanne.

Where next? We headed for Madam Tussaudes - so many celebrities to meet!

Arrrrgggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh - its Troy!!!

David insisted on this one...

Megan spent the whole of last term learning about World War 2 - she really enjoyed it. She was THRILLED when she bumped into Winston Churchill and, erm, Hitler!

Two down, how many free attractions can we fit in to our trip?! We headed for the London Aquarium and on the way, averted a disaster. Luckily Megan was on hand to prop up Big Ben

(aren't we clever...and original! Actually we had to queue up behind 3 lots of chinese tourists to take this picture!)

The Aquarium was great - especially the sharks.Next to the Aquarium is the London Eye - so we had our first evening flight.Megan loved the mime next to the river - she couldn't wait to get on his pedistal!

By this time, we were starving so we headed back to Leicester Square to get KFC. Actually, we marched aimlessly round the London Eye for about half an hour, desperately looking for KFC to end the day perfectly, but we couldn't find one, so we jumped on the tube again and went where I knew there was one. Unfortunately, I didn't realise it was the premier of Quantum of Solace in Leicester Square! It was heaving! We fought our way through, with my camera on hand to snap any celebrities. Leicester Square must have been packed with them - we could hear the crowds cheering every now and then.

This is my one and only paparrazzi shot:

I got a blurred picture of Boris! I think I've definitely blown my chance to be a paparrazzi!

KFC was worth the wait, and we headed home exhausted! I don't think we could have fitted much more in.

Vicky's 12!

How can she be 12? Everyone (except me) is getting so old! We got to Lorraines just in time for the cake - perfect timing as always.

Vicky's not one to shy away from the lime light - of course she joined in her "Happy Birthday" song!

Its a sign you're getting old when there aren't the right number of candles on your cake! Vicky's reached that point now!

She had lots of family and friends around her to help celebrate.

Check out the sister with attitude!

Carvery Crowd Pleaser

With the busy lives that everyone has, it seems we only manage to see Liam's cousins when Harriet comes to visit from Canada! Luckily she comes quite regularly now, so during her recent trip, we all met at the Carvery - very popular choice. Its scarey how much the kids have grown up each time we see them!

Sad Day

While we were out having lunch with Harriet and the rest of Liam's family, I got the sad phone call from mum that my Grandad had died.

He's been ill for a while, and even more so in the week before he died, so it wasn't a shock, but I still felt very sad.

I absolutely adore my Grandad, I loved the stories he told, even though in the last few years he told them over and over again! I especially liked it when he told us that he'd been all over the world, and even to the moon - I love that in his old age, he felt so well travelled that he thought he'd been to the moon!

I'll really miss him, but I'm glad he's not trapped in his old body and mind any more, and I have no doubt he'll be waiting to meet me when its my turn to go. xx

8th June 1916 - 26th October 2008

Still wrestling....

Natural History Museum

After watching Sam do some really funky dancing at the ward 70's party, Liam was so impressed with his moves, he said Sam could pick a treat day out! You have to encourage talent!

We've got the Merlin passes from our Tesco points this year - free entry to Alton Towers, Chessington, Legoland, Sealife Centres, London Dungeons, etc,etc,etc. so obviously Sam chose to go to the Natural History Museum which is free anyway! But it was his treat, so we jumped on the train!

I have to say, he made a great choice! Although we've been before, there's so much to explore its like visiting a new museum everytime.

Last time we went to the NHM, we missed the room with the blue whale (imagine missing a blue whale?!) so this time we headed straight for the animals.

The blue whale kept a beady eye on Megan...

The other unmissable bit was the dinosaurs...although thats always the part with the longest queue.

...we spent a few hours at the museum and then decided to take advantage of our Merlin card so we headed over to the London Aquarium, via Big Ben.

Not knowing London all that well, we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived at the Aquarium, only to find that it was right next to the London Eye - both are on our Merlin Card list so we had a wander round the aquarium (no photos - the fish are flash shy) then hopped on the Eye - our first time.

A lovely relaxing 40 minutes with lots to see.

It was a jam-packed day - we seemed to fit so much in.

On the train on the way back, Megan still had a bit of energy left ...

...don't know where she gets her gurning skills from...

Harriet's here

We made a flying visit to visit Nanny Pat, 'cause Auntie Harriet was visiting from Canada.Always time for a few quick photos!

No Particular Reason Party

She called it a "no particular reason party", but as I (well we) took Leanne crabbing and caught nearly a hundred crabs, Lorraine's feeling the pressure to maintain her title as "World's Best Auntie"!

I think she should have retitled it a "Trying to Outdo Ruth and Liam Party"! If only she would realise that she'll always win on the party front!

So Lorraine invited us over to have a party for no reason - can you believe she'd want to do a pass the parcel etc when there's no need? I just don't get that! I can make the simplest birthday party hard work so I don't understand why someone would have have one for no reason!?

But I think all our girls take after Lorraine, 'cause it doesn't take much to get them in the mood for a party!

They're also quite good at posing. You take a picture of 3...

...and another pops along......and another pops along!They're so good at posing 'cause they've got mums who can't take enugh photos for their blogs! We're a little obsessed!

So what do you do at a no particular reason party? A lot of this...

...a bit of this (only Vicky of course - the rest of us couldn't manage it!)...

...and you finish with a torchlit, pitch black play in the park.I think Lorraine is actually the best auntie in the world!

Lazy Sunday Afternoons

After Delores volunteered me to teach a RS/PH family history lesson in her ward, she smoothed things over after I'd done it by inviting us over for a delicious roast dinner! What a feast!

I wish I'd taken an "after" picture to go with this "before" picture 'cause there wasn't a scrap left on our platesat the end!

I love Sunday afternoons. They kids played with Grandmas Lego and keyrings, and coloured and lounged, while Liam slept on Richards bed watching his tv, and Delores and I lounged and chatted...all after eating a delicious feast!

A perfect Sunday...except for the teaching a lesson!

Return trip

Leanne came for a sleep over, so we took her to harass the West Mersea crabs again! We knew she'd enjoy it and she did. She even got bold enough to hold a crab!
And our harrassing didn't end with crabs this time...Leah caught a GIANT fish...I know! She takes after her dad!

Legoland

What a dilemma - we'd set aside a day to go on our first trip to Legoland, but when we woke up, it was pouring with rain.

Now if we'd had to pay, there would have been no way, but with our Tesco Merlin pass, its free so we decided to shun the weather forecasters, and pack up and go anyway!

And the closer we got to Windsor, then heavier the rain got! I'd looked on the website and found the indoor things, so when we arrived and it was pouring down as much as it possibly could be, we headed for the lego starwars building bit.

It was a bit like being in Sam's bedroom!

And there was a daily competition to build the best starwars ship. We took it very seriously.

Some more than others...

We submitted 3 entries:In fairness, Leah should win 'cause she built hers by herself, where as me and Liam took over Megan's and Sam's. Its very difficult not to build when there's a table full of Lego in front of you! Unfortunately, we're still waiting for the phonecall to tell us we've won...sob.

Ultimately, there's only so long grownups can play with Lego, so we decided to brave the rain and go explore...but not before Sam had a photo with a...bounty hunter...

...this is a specific bounty hunter Sam informed us, being obsessed with Lego starwars as he is, but I've forgotten its name...!

The rain had eased a bit so of course we headed for the rides, and the first one we came to was the rapids boat ride...and we got soaked?! I don't know why we did that - its like you can't help yourself - we were drawn to the wet rides like it was a boiling hot summers day. Except it wasn't - it was cold and wet!

We went a few dry rides, then just couldn't resist going on the scarey water slide, and getting soaked to the bottom in the boat! And there was no getting dry after that!

After this scarey ride, we went for something a bit more tame...funny how you lose all street cred when you're a dad!The best ride to watch was the kids driving school. 4 year old Leah was great at working the break and accelerator and steering wheel......and Megan did great too...

...whereas Sam didn't get the hang of it! He spent the whole time like this:

He cried in the curb for ten minutes! The helpers kept rescuing him, and then as soon as there was another corner to turn, he crashed! I'm now commiting to never teach Sam to drive! I think it'll be a nightmare - it'll have to be Liam's job...in Liam's car!

We loved Legoland - there was only one ride Leah couldn't go on (although being the scaredy cat that she is, there were a few that she chose not to go on) and despite the weather, we loved it.

On the way out, Liam found a new friend...How exciting for a family of Harry Potter fans!

A night with the Lees

Sam and Dan invited us over for dinner but Sam and I had another agenda. They've got a wood burner, and we'd like to get one when we do up our living room. In the past, we'd discussed going and collecting wood from the many local woods, so we went to do a recce (is that the right spelling? Wikipedia says it is so it must be right!) in the woods in Little Baddow.

So many trees to climb, so little time! Wellies on...

Wellies off...

Dan was at hand to catch Josh before he followed his wellies.

Sam was busy keeping Elizabeth cosie - she looked really comfy!

So we set Leah to work to collect some wood...

This log was a bit big, but she's got the idea!

Back in the warm, I was on a mission. The Lees live in one of the oldest houses in Little Baddow. Its full of beams and old parts! Having had lots of discussions lately with Lorraine about orbs, I was sure this was the place to catch them. So I snaped away...

...but not an orb could be found! How come there's so many on Lorraine's camera? I'm starting to think she's possessed!

Definitely noorbs near this lovely baby!

Stop Thief!

Early one morning I caught a burglar red handed leaving the scene of the crime through Megan's bedroom window...

...wait a minute, its only Liam clearing thick moss from the guttering.

We thought the guttering needed replacing cause it leaked but when Liam got up there, it was thick with moss.I have to say that I wasn't very comfortable with him spending the morning up aladder - I kept thinking about that advert where the man says he was given the wrong ladder at work and then it slips and he crushes his hands! I'm very influenced by advertising and at least I know who to go to for compensation if it happens!

Who needs a Wii fit?

Sam's obsessed with the Play Station. If he could play it all day, every day, it wouldn't be long enough for him.

This particular day he came home from school and straight away asked if he could play Lego Star Wars. I said no, he needed to go and get some exercise outside first.

Next thing I know, he's doing press ups on the patio, Sportacus fashion!

"Can I play it now?" he asks after 5 press ups and when I say no, he starts madly jogging on the spot.Good try Sam, but I meant more than a 30 second outburst!

Harvest time

Annabelle came for tea tonight and so I sent the girls out into the garden to dig up some potatoes...I like the sound of this sentence, like we do it every day, but we don't! We planted some manky potatoes in the spring and we've dug up a few tiny ones last month, but today we were a bit more sucessful. This was our best yield!It was more about having a go and sharing the experience with the kids - I don't think we're ready for the good life yet! We left them in the ground for four or five months and harvested a couple of pans full of potatoes!

Annabelle was impressed but we'll have to try harder next year!

Crabby Kids

We love Sunday afternoon trips out - today Liam had the bright idea of crabbing at West Mersea. We've been to the beach there before, but when Liam went sea fishing recently, he left from the pier and thats where he took us - what a great spot.We weren't the only crabbers there - in fact it was dificult for the boats to find a place to land!
We took a washing tablet bag, some string and a couple of packs of bacon, and within minutes, we were hauling them in.
We caught over a hundred crabs in the few hours we were there - Sam was amazed!
The crabs were desperate to get at the bacon and didn't want to let go!
Megan has always been very bold in picking up crabs, Sam has become more so, and Leah's been a big scaredy cat, but today she took the bull by its horns and took the crab by its shell! She did actually want to do that although it loks a bit like we're forcing her to!
Luckily, Megan's always on hand to offer some support.

Hunting for crabs take a lot of concentration...

...and more than a few got away...Liam's no stranger to this feeling!

By the time we left, the sky was a beautiful colour

An average day in Richard's life!

...I don't know what to say except to reassure that this caused no damage and was literally over in 1 second!?! I'm a bit scared to blog it, but this is our family history! I'm recording the good, the bad, the psycho?!

The Blue Strawberry

My Mum's only been to visit a few times but each time she comes, it seems to coincide a school event! She spent a fortune at the Christmas fayre and won a meal for 2 at a pub in Bicnacre, then in the summer, she won a lunch for 2 at the Blue Strawberry in Hatfield Peverell. Being new to the area, I'd never heard of it, but as I told people about the prize, I could see that she'd done good!

It turns out its one of the best restaurants in Essex and mum won us a £40 voucher! The voucher was for 2 people so obviously, I bagsied the first place! It was too late in mums trip for her to go with me, and Liam had his eye on the second place. But I didn't want him to rush out meal in his lunch hour so he resigned his place to his mum!

Delores and I LOVE eating out, so we dropped Leah at preschool and went to indulge!

It was surprisingly busy for a Monday lunchtime and I can see why. I know my meal would always taste nicer cause it was free, but we had a delicious 3 course meal!

Delores had pork......and I had Salmon and Seabass with a huge nippey langustine!
The waiter could see my shocked expression when I saw the langustine's big claws, and he reassured me that you treat it like a prawn. A delicious meal with great company. It felt like a real treat. Thanks mum.

More Wildlife

...this time in my bedroom!

This caterpillar was inside my bedroom window! This must be the most fantastic caterpillar around! I wonder if this one's been in Mrs Cubain's moth book?

I Googled "tufty caterpillars" and it seems its a Vapour Moth caterpillar. As amazing as he looks, he has no right to be in our bedroom and we had to summon Megan to remove him!

More Celebrities

I'm not joking, Essex is full of celebrities! Today we bumped into Konnie Huk at Colchester zoo - well, I say bumped into her...it wasn't quite like that!

We spotted her heading into a cage to film a link for the zoo programme on channel 5 and so we hovered around outside to see if we could get a better photo. Unfortunately we're too noisy and one of Konnie's entourage came out and shooed us along 'cause they could hear us on their tape. How rude!

So we abandoned our celebrity stalking and headed for the animals! Leah kept telling us she'd seen a rat and I was trying to explain to her that it was a fox, until we got to the white tiger enclosure and Leah showed us there was another! A big huge fat rat! A very bold rat to be eating the tiger's food. Then we saw loads, in different enclosures! Is that normal in a zoo?!

Megan had a chat with a chimp.Thats fine while he's facing you, but when he turns his back on you, its a different matter! Yuk!
He's not the only cheeky monkey!