Photo diary: week 2, project 365

It's almost two weeks into the new year, and we're back to school.

We usually walk into town through the flood fields (but return home via town). This cat lives in one of the houses next to the fields, but is often wandering around. Just the other day we saw it walking proudly with a mouse dangling in its jaws.

In this photo it's lying in the dry grass and bramble, so camouflaged, that you can hardly spot it, like a Where's Wally character.

Monday was the last day of holidays (Inset day at school), and we popped into Greggs to have the consolation treat. Eddie has chosen a donut. I've asked for their famous vegan sausage roll, as I'm very curious to try it, but they said they don't sell it in this particular cafe. 

Morning walk to school through the fields, and a beautiful sunrise.

I haven't done a charity shops' crawl since before Christmas holidays, when I visit around 5-6 shops around the town centre. Found this gorgeous Spode plate for a fiver, reduced from £10. It's in pristine condition, and I love Spode. I have quite a collection of mismatched Spode plates, all from charity shops. 

On Wednesday Sash went to stay overnight at his respite centre. My husband was away, so it was just Eddie and I on our own at home. We spent the evening, watching Netflix, reading and stuffing ourselves with pizza.

In the morning we went to Bill's for breakfast, as Sash was arriving to school from his respite centre, and we didn't have to get him ready for school. Eddie loves the Bill's breakfast on the kids' menu, which is as big as a grown-up's portion. I had a dish of scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, and very nice it was too.

On Friday I met up with a friend for a quick coffee in the morning. We went to the UE Roasters cafe, as their coffee is one of the best in town, and their banana bread is to die for.

I love the display of the vintage books on the window sill. Maybe I should come on my own to have a coffee and read Voltaire's biography. 

I had to get something from the summerhouse today, and on the way through the garden spotted that the hellebore started to flower. It always comes very early in the year, and has such an intense deep purple colour.

An InLinkz Link-up

Photo diary: week 1, project 365

January is the time of new beginnings for many, while we seem to be doing the same things we did last year, including the daily snaps for Project 365.

The first photos of the year were selfies Eddie and I did just after midnight. He insisted on staying up and watching the fireworks in London on TV. His father was away in Italy, Sash went to bed around 10pm. I was also yawning around 10pm, trying to persuade Eddie that the TV was too boring and perhaps we should go to sleep as well, but he persisted.
He was channel-hopping, as we couldn't find anything that was not total drivel.
I called my brother on Skype at 7pm - when they were celebrating the new year (it's 5 hours' difference) - and listened to the chimes of the Kremlin clock welcoming the new year. Once the chimes stop beating, there is usually a Russian hymn coming.
Strange how I remember all the words of the Soviet Union hymn which was played on new year's TV in my childhood. They have changed the words to reflect the new Russia, but the music stayed the same.

Apologies for more selfies, but I just wanted to show my new pinny. I treated myself to a Harry Potter apron.

On the 3rd my husband was back home, and we all went out into town. Eddie and I did some grocery shopping and also popped into Costa for a coffee and panini.
Here is Eddie, chillaxing on the sofa (he did take his shoes off).

Sasha's recent obsession with the church continues. In the last 3 days he's been going to the church every day. He also shows me images of the churches in all the books we've got at home. We really cannot figure out, what has prompted this interest. He seems to be relaxed there.
This is a photo taken by my husband, but I wanted to include Sash in the first week of the photo diary.

Our local ladies at Waterstone's gave us the Diary of the Wimpy Kid bunting that was on display in the bookshop window for weeks, as they knew how much we loved it. It's now hanging in Eddie's bedroom above his photo portrait and Angry Birds poster.

Laura Beresford shared a link. 2 January at 21:31 Happy new year everyone!

An InLinkz Link-up

Photo diary: week 48, project 365

With the busy festive season ahead, I'm already starting running in circles like a headless chicken. So much to do, and so little time left to buy and organise everything. Eeek...

Last Sunday was a Stir Up Sunday, and I've prepped up the dried fruit and nuts with lots and lots of apricot brandy.The smell in the kitchen was divine. I didn't actually bake the cake until a few days later, but it's done now, all wrapped in paper and foil.

Eddie's become addicted to Monopoly game. He keeps pestering his father to play with him, and would happily spend the evening doing just that.

A foggy morning and a brisk walk through the flood fields on the way to school.

Eddie's school has a great scheme for children who have parents and/or siblings with special needs and disabilities - The Carers' Club. Every term they have a special activity for children. This time it was a visit to the Eynsham nursery to meet Santa. They watched the film, had popcorn and snacks and got little gifts. Eddie was pleased with his festive hat and thrilled to miss the school day in favour of the trip.
I think it is such a fab idea. Children like our Eddie have to live in the circumstances where the needs of their siblings often come first, and they have to adapt. Eddie never begrudges his elder brother, when we need to change plans or are not able to participate in something that would not suit Sasha.
And it's great that the school takes it into consideration and supports children like my younger son.

A festive Hazelnut Praline latte in Costa - very nutty indeed. Had a lovely chat with my friend on Thursday morning.

There was a Twitter comp yesterday, where you had to upload a snap of yourself in specs with your favourite book. Here I am, channeling my inner Minerva McGonagall.

Today Eddie and I went to see Ralph Wrecks the Internet.Gosh, two hours later I felt like I was wrecked myself. It would have been better cut in half. And all the funniest bits were already shown in trailers.
We popped into Waterstones and admired The Diary of a Wimpy Kid bunting. I so need one in my life.

An InLinkz Link-up

Farewell to summer

Ah, summer holidays, summer holidays, why do you have to come to an end? We loved that it didn't matter if we went to bed almost at midnight, or stayed in PJs until midday, who was there to judge?! We could have a picnic in the garden, read books in the summerhouse, pick strawberries from the strawberry patch (those that were't munched by the slugs first), have water fights in the garden and visit the milk shake shop on a hot afternoon...

What would we remember of summer 2018, when we look back? The longest heatwave?

In June we planned a 5-days-long adventure with Eddie when Sasha went on a residential trip to Butlins with his class. It didn't end as planned, as Sasha didn't cope with the change from routine, so we had to cut our adventure short.
But we still had a fabulous day at Legoland...

And a day in Brighton... staying in the room with the best view...

We enjoyed longer walks through the flood fields by the river Windrush...

Loved picking a handful of red currants after dinner...

Visited Sasha's new school...

Spent a small fortune in cafes...

Were ecstatic on the flight simulator.

Relished every minute of flying high on the swings...

Some of us were so tired after the playground antics, that we had to stop in town and have a little lie-in on the bench before going back home.

And then there was a fun birthday party for Eddie...

August was more of the same - leisurely trips into town, playground and cafes.
I took one zillion photos during our trip to Sennen Cove, Cornwall, and Eddie and I had fun, arranging some of them in a short video.




We also baked cakes and cupcakes, made fudge, watched lots of films, played football and read many wonderful books.

Farewell, summer! Hello, autumn!

And since Eddie is the main editor of my iphone movies, here is another Eddie-fest of summer memories.

Photo diary: week 32, project 365

Another week of summer holidays has made its quick retreat. We're already half-way through the summer break until the school is back. I enjoy having more leisurely mornings, and not having to worry about lunch boxes and school uniforms, but having two boys at home is also a lot of pressure.
On Sunday we came to say Hello to Sasha and Papa, when they were in cafe Nero.

On Monday I was "playing" with one of the latest Schleich Eldrador Creatures in the garden, trying to find an interesting background for taking photos for my blog post.

It ended up for the time being on the shelf with Eddie's birthday cards. Though his birthday was two weeks ago, he still wants to cards to be on display.

Looking through an old wooden chest full of soft toys, we came across this quartet of doggies. They belonged to Sasha when he was very little.
Maybe you remember the Co-Op promotion over 14 years ago, when you had to collect tokens to buy these soft toys at a reduced price. Sasha was obsessed with those dogs, we carried them everywhere, even to Italy when we visited his grandparents.
Eddie said he still loves them, because they are so soft and cuddly. Who's the softie in this house?

More Eddie's pics. On Thursday Sasha stayed overnight in his respite home, which he really enjoys and is always looking forward to. So am I, to be honest. These are the only two nights per month when I can expect to have an undisturbed sleep.
After Sasha was picked up by his transport, we got on the bus to Oxford. Eddie likes visiting his Dad's college, then we went to John Lewis and bought a few of the new Lego Harry Potter minifigures, and as a treat for Eddie, we went to McDonalds to buy a Happy Meal for him.

My echinacea is doing well. I love its shape and structure.

Today we went to the swimming pool with the boys, and afterwards had lunch at the Sainsbury's cafe. Chips for boys, a vegetarian omelette for my husband and a steamed cod with baby potatoes for me. The food was actually very tasty. I really should get in touch with Sainsbury's and say how much we enjoyed the meal.

I think I have already mentioned this ghost house in our neighbourhood, which is completely covered by the greenery. The white doves have nests in all windows.

Disney Eye Found It! (Ravensburger hidden picture game)

Are you a family who loves playing board games on Christmas, taking it easy after a big lunch? Or is playing games together a more frequent occasion in your family?

I'm all in favour of board games, as they are great fun (and they distract everyone from being glued to iphones, ipads and other gadgety things).
If you are looking for a new board game for Christmas and want to get away from the usual suspects (Monopoly, Cluedo, Scrabble etc), Disney Eye Found It from Ravensburger will tick all the boxes.
This hidden picture game is suitable for the whole family (ages 4+) and could include up to 6 players.

Disney fans will find many of their favourite characters on a magical journey through 12 illustrated Disney realms, from Radiator Springs to Peter Pan's Never Land and Pooh's Hundred Acre Wood.

What do you find in the box?
1 giant game board which comes in several big pieces
6 playing pieces with stands
1 spinner
12 plastic rings
30 search cards
and an hourglass

First assemble your game board.
You will need a well lit area to play this game, as there are lots of small details which you might miss otherwise. It is probably easier to unfold the game on the floor, or on a big table (our coffee table, which we use for playing games is too short for the base plate).

Choose a playing piece - be a Mickey, Tigger or Elsa - and journey through Disney realms, searching for hidden treasures.

There are over 1,000 things to find (don't worry, not in one go).
The beauty of this game is that you have to work as a team. You don't compete against each other. You win, everyone wins, you lose, everyone loses.
Together with your fellow players you need to beat the clock before it reaches midnight. If it does, off you go to the start to begin your journey anew.

The youngest player begins the game.
Spin the spinner and follow the instructions. If you get numbers from 1 to 8, you simply advance forward along the road. If your spinner stops at Clock Tower 1, you move the hand of the clock tower one hour ahead. If you stop at Clock Tower 2, you move the hand of the clock tower two hours ahead.

Stopping on Mickey Mouse symbol means it's time to search. Turn over the top search card from the draw pile and show it to all the players.

Turn over the hourglass. All participants start searching for the treasure seen on the card.
Each time one of you finds the right image, put a ring over it.
Stop when the hourglass has run through. Count the rings and move forward the same amount of spaces.

You will also see the Mickey Mouse symbol along the blue road as you travel. If you land on the symbol square, start a new search.

The game finishes once all the players reached the castle before the clock strikes midnight.

This excellent board game will make a wonderful gift for Christmas for the whole family.
You can buy this game on amazon, in Toys'R'Us, House of Fraser, John Lewis, Argos etc.

Another brilliant Ravensburger game for Christmas or any other occasion is Labyrinth - we have two different sets - original and Despicable Me 3, and love both versions.

Disclosure: We received the game for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are our own.