Day 151 - May 31st

On what has probably been the hottest day of the year so far, instead of enjoying the sunshine we retreated indoors to the cinema. Madness I know, but we had promised the children that we would take them to see Night at the Museum 2 during the half terms holidays and as today was the last day we thought we should go. The cinema we went to was built in 1936 in an art deco style. It was one of three cinemas in the town although is now the only one remaining.

Day 150 - May 30

Think of a pub crawl but substitute the word 'pub' with the words 'DIY Centre'! That is what this morning we went on. We went to Homebase ...... then B&Q ...... then Focus DIY ..... and finally Wickes in the hunt for floating shelves to go beside the bed in our new bedroom. All the shelves we saw were either too long or too short, the wrong colour or too expensive. So our outing was fruitless and we still haven't got any shelves ....... grrrrrrr. So until we manage to find what we need I will have to continue using a cardboard box as a bedside table. LOL

A couple of days ago I posted part of a layout I had finished for the Mojo Holder design team. I promised to upload the whole layout when I was able to. As the layout was put on the Mojo Holder blog last night I can now do that. It was a scralift of a layout by Nicole Stark. I used some photos taken at Lynmouth, Devon nearly three years ago and we will be back there again in a few months time.

Day 149 - May 29th

Finally, on the last day of the school holiday, I managed today to persuade my teenage son to leave the sanctuary of his bedroom with his xbox, computer and TV and venture outside into the sunshine for a little while! LOL

Day 148 - May 28th

I've not done any crafting for nearly three weeks but today I was up against a design team deadline so had to find the time to put together a layout. It felt good playing with paper! This is just a corner of the layout - I'll post the whole layout when its uploaded to the challenge blog.

Day 147 - May 27th

For the last month or so rather than put empty boxes, tubes, yoghurt pots, etc in the recycling bin I've been putting them in a big box so that during the half-term holidays Lara could do some junk modeling. Its not something she does very often at home but she always enjoys making things at school from boxes and bits and pieces. She was thrilled this afternoon when I produced the box and some glue and sticky tape and told her she could stick and create to her hearts content. Her favourite creation - Oscar the Horse, is now stood by the fireplace awaiting Daddy's return from work so she can show him her masterpiece.

Day 146 - May 26th

Busy day today and not much time for taking photos so turned to my Dad's orchids for inspiration. This time a Marsh Orchid.

Day 145 - May 25th

Spent most of today laying carpet, hanging curtains and moving furniture into the newly decorated bedroom and had hoped that todays photo would be of the finished room. But it still needs a few finishing touches, particularly some new bedside cabinets/shelves, so that photo will have to wait.

Instead, todays photo is of the ice-cream maker. We dragged it out of the back of the cupboard and this evening we made some home made vanilla ice-cream. Mmmmmmmmmm.

Day 144 - May 24th

The sunny weather continued today so there was more fun in the paddling pool and another impromptu barbeque. Nothing very exotic - just some pork steaks and sausages with salad but oh so tasty.

Day 143 - May 23rd

"The sun has got his hat on, hip-hip-hip-hooray
The sun has got his hat on and he’s coming out today"

After the tooth fairy visited last night (apparently the going rate is £2 for the first tooth and £1 for each one thereafter) and Steven returned from France, today has been a gloriously sunny start to the bank holiday weekend.

To mark the occasion and in anticipation of a lovely, long, hot summer, Lara and I went out this morning and bought a new paddling pool. The old one had punctured last year and despite repairing the hole it really wasn't going to last this summer. Once it had been inflated and filled Lara enjoyed the afternoon playing in the water while Wayne & I tried to tidy up the garden a bit more and then rounded off the afternoon with a barbeque tea. Not the first barbeque we've had this year, but the first where it has been warm enough to sit outside to eat. Food tastes so much nicer sitting outside in the sunshine.

Todays photo is of Lara enjoying the pool - I love the look on her face

Day 142 - May 22nd

"Once I had a little tooth
That wobbled every day;
When I ate and when I talked,
It wiggled every way."

This morning aged 6 years, 5 months & 6 days old Lara lost her first tooth. After weeks, and weeks, and weeks of wobbling and wishing it to fall out, this morning it came out in the middle of brushing her teeth. After a few tears from the initial shock of it finally coming out she is now one very happy little girl and eagerly awaiting the visit from the tooth fairy.

Day 141 - May 21st

Went for a walk this morning between the showers. I wanted to photograph some cows that I had seen earlier. When I got to the field they were all in the far corner, away from the gate and not close enough to be photographed. So instead I snapped the local pub! At one time the village boasted 12 pubs (I can remember 5 in my lifetime) but now there are just 3 left including this one which is a nice restaurant too.

Day 140 - May 20th

The trailing strawberry plants we set in a hanging pot last month are now flowering. They really need putting outside but still a bit too cold.

Day 139 - May 19th

Today Steven went away to France with the school for a few days. I dropped him off at school at 7.30am and got an email from the school just after 1pm to say the children had all arrived safely in France. Seems an incredibly quick journey but as they were going on the Eurotunnel I guess its to be expected. Bit different when I went to France with the school as a child. We travelled by ferry and it took AGES!!!

He's taken our other little digital camera with him so hopefully he will use it while he's away and come back with a few photos.

Day 138 - May 18th

Why do you build me up (Build me up)
Buttercup baby
just to let me down (Let me down)
And mess me around

Day 137 - May 17th

Osteospermum (Cape Daisy) after the rain.

Day 136 - May 16th

Todays photo isn't the most interesting but its what most of today has been about.

This morning we went on a mammoth shopping trip to buy new curtains and bedding for our newly decorated bedroom. On 17th January I posted a photo of the paint and paper which had been bought several months earlier and were just about to be used on the walls. 24th January was a photo of Lara helping to paint the walls and now here we are almost 4 months later only just having got to the stage where we are nearly finished! Decorating really isn't Wayne's thing!! Tomorrow we're going out again to get carpet, curtain pole and lamps. Then, as soon as the final job of staining/varnishing the window sill has been done we can get the carpet laid, the curtains put up and move the furniture from our old bedroom into this one. The extra bedroomed was added onto our house 5 years ago and it has taken that long to get to this stage. You can't say I've not been patient! I must deserve an award!

Day 135 - May 15th

We got the government's swine flu leaflet in the mail this morning.

Day 134 - May 14th

A photo of another critter today. This time a tiny snail that was crawling along the edge of one of the borders. He was so small - his shell was only about the size of my little finger nail.

Day 133 - May 13th

Today my Dad offered to take some old garden furniture and other bits and pieces to the local tip for us. After he had taken all he could we were sorting and moving the last few bits when this little chap appeared from underneath.

Day 132 - May 12th

Not the most flattering of photos today 'cos I hate my feet! But as part of the series of 'Seasonal Feet' photos I'm taking as part of 365, today I took my 'Spring Feet' photo complete with comfy Fly flots, green grass and daisies. LOL

Day 131 - May 11th

The white lilac in the garden is now out and the smell is gorgeous.

Day 130 - May 10th

This afternoon we visited the Stotfold Mill Steam Fair and Country Show. Lots of steam engines (the first photo is my photo of the day) ...........

Fairground organs .................

vintage tractors and classic cars ...............

as well as displays and demonstrations and lots of sideshows, stalls and fairground rides......

Lara's favourite was the 'bungee trampoline' I think the chap running it was quite surprised that such a little one wanted to do a somersault but after some instruction she was happily flipping backwards and forwards to her hearts content.

Day 129 - May 9th

Didn't win the Euro Millions jackpot last night so rather than dining at the Ritz it was chinese takaway tonight.

Day 128 - May 8th

"Who wants to be a millionaire?"

Tonights Euro Millions draw has an estimated £110 million jackpot! I don't usually do the Euro Millions draw but with a jackpot like that ...........

Day 127 - May 7th

Blue Hebe

Day 126 - May 6th

I felt like doing something different today. This is the result - think I may have lost the plot! I hope none of the neighbours saw me in the garden trying to take photos of a plastic rabbit posing with a flower!

Day 125 - May 5th

Lacking inspiration today so I resorted to another plant shot. This time the flowers on the Spirea which is in full bloom.

Day 124 - May 4th

Today we came home, but first there was time for a last trip to Bawdsey Quay and a play on the small sandy beach.

My photo of the day .........

........ and a few more. Don't laugh at the socks - they said the sand was cold!

Day 123 - May 3rd

Today we visited Orford Castle. We've been before but it was worth another visit. My photo for today .....



I took so many photos that again it was hard to choose just one to post, so here's some more .........





The views from the top of the castle over Orford village are stunning.





After visiting the castle we went to Sutton Hoo. I remembered learning about the burial site years ago in school. There wasn't actually a lot to see on the ground - some mounds of earth in a field and unfortunately a group of visitors on a guided tour were sitting on THE mound so there wasn't much chance for decent photos. But the visitors centre had a good exhibition with some of the real artifacts which were discovered as well as replicas of others and a replica of the burial chamber.





After looking at the exhibition, we went for a walk through the wood that's on the Sutton Hoo Estate. For me that was probably my favourite part of the visit to Sutton Hoo because the bluebells were out at their best and they were spectacular. I tried my hardest to get the family to pose for some photos but I think from these next photos you can probably tell that Lara in particular was not going to willingly oblige !














In the end I gave up with posed shots and just took some general photos of the woods (sneakily including the family in one or too without them knowing!)