Lightening Fast Blog

It's late and I'm way too tired to even contemplate the day ahead tomorrow...
but here's a little precise of today :D

The luxury of no-one going anywhere (due to lack of any transport) afforded me the luxury of a long lie in, albeit not entirely asleep, and I made the most of it! The kids were up - some dressed, all breakfasted, playing noisily, but leaving me be :D 

After making a quick banana & strawberry smoothie (my breakfast) I headed straight into the study to start work on a PowerPoint for Youth Church tomorrow. Not being wonderfully adept at using PP, and not having Paul to call on in time of need, that took me WAY longer than I intended it too (way past lunchtime in fact), but I'm pleased with it in the end.  I think it was almost 3 by the time I was done. It felt like a bit of a wasted day, but the children were wonderful and played nicely together all that time. I reminded myself that there were about three more hours of daylight and to make the most of them!

SO... I gathered in the washing, that had been on the line overnight and was now dry, and then gathered up the children, despite a slightly ominous looking sky. We went out in the garden and gleaned all the remaining elderberries off the bushes (and trees) and ended up with a sizeable stash to make some syrup with. I'd intended to do it today, but I've run out of day, so that'll keep me busy tomorrow afternoon! I know they won't keep, so I need to get on and do it.

The sun was still shining and no-one wanted to go back inside, so I grabbed my camera and took the children down to the maize field just up the lane, for a quick photo session. I can't say it was my most successful set of pictures ever taken, but the children enjoyed seeing the maize growing and while we were there, a large rainbow arced across the sky ~ even though it wasn't actually raining! It was good to have a stomp about in the fresh air, even if only for half hour or so. Chip thoroughly enjoyed himself! And afterwards the middle three all ran back off up the lane and spent another ten minutes or so thrashing down ferns and playing in the fern field. The ferns are just changing colour atm and looking quite pretty, but soon that'll be our winter football pitch again!

I set to, making Toad-in-the-Hole; something we NEVER have because Paul hates it, so it was treat for me and an experiment for the kids. All but Stitch liked it and even he ate it in the end ~ avec a large quantity of red sauce! I had made a rather yummy onion gravy too, but only myself and TP had any of that.

Then the day was almost done ~ tidy-up, showers and baths and it was time for the weekly torture that is X-factor. But tonight I was glad of it ~ it works as the most excellent of motivators to get 'stuff' done on a Saturday night! They watched half, but it's ridiculously long and late these days, so then I packaged them off to bed. TP asked if she could share my bed tonight ~ to which I agreed ~ I hate having the double to myself strangely, especially on these colder nights!

Once everyone was settled in bed, and X-Factor finished (I had to watch the end!) I've been back in the study finishing of bits for the morning. I STILL haven't tackled that mountain of marking, but one more week and then it's half term (yeah!!) ~ I SHOULD be able to get it done with a whole week to do it in!!

And now it's 1am and I am flying solo in the morning ~ our lift for church arrives at 9.30am , so I am heading off to bed RIGHT NOW!

Night all!