Little Scotties

Scottie Highlights 2009

2009-12-12T11:07:00.012Z

Andy has had another busy year looking after the Church here. In the summer he dressed up as Bananaman for the Stourbridge Carnival alongside his daughters who were strawberries! He has become a keen gardener and we are all enjoying the fruits of his work! (And we hope to enjoy even more fruit/veg next year!!) This year he took his turn to lead the town's Rememberance Day service in the local park. It was a bitterly cold day but the service was well attended! He has also begun to work as a chaplain to the local police force which he is enjoying, and he looks rather smart in his uniform!

Shona reached the grand old age of 30 this year (not sure if that's a highlight!) and was treated to a trip to London to see a show (Billy Elliot) and a night away from the girls! The lowlight of the year was when she had an accident in the Bongo, which was unfortunately damaged beyond repair and we were very sad to lose it, but grateful that the only damage was to car and lamp post. In the summer she organised a holiday club at Church, the first for several years, and is currently building up an after-school activity club as a follow on. Aside from School runs, food shopping and keeping the house and troops in order, she continues to sew and knit and bake whenever she can!

Emilia turned 4 in February and celebrated with a party for all her friends. She (along with many of her friends) had chicken pox over the May Bank Holiday, which started whilst we were at the Baptist Assembly in Bournemouth. She started School in September and has loved every moment. She is currently working hard at her sounds and is beginning to start writing and reading anything she can find! Her mind never stops working and her thirst for knowledge seems to be insatiable! She played the part of a cow in the nativity play, which was very good but had to have a few days off afterwards with tonsillitis.

Esther celebrated her second birthday in April and moved into bunk beds the same day! She also had chicken pox in May, although not as badly as her sister! She started Pre-School in September and has been to a weekly swimming lesson since September where she recently earned her first badge for doing things like blowing bubbles under the water. She continues to amaze us with her command of language and her boundless energy, so it's hard to believe she's still only 2!

We all enjoyed a camping holiday in Western Wales in the summer, fun on the beach, although sitting here in the snow, it seems like a long time ago now!

We wish you all a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year 2010!

Peppa Pig

2009-07-29T17:51:00.003+01:00

Today we went to Merry Hill and when we arrived we discovered that Peppa Pig was visiting the centre. Unfortunately we were too late to get a ticket to have our photo taken with Peppa and George but we did get quite a good view. The girls believe Peppa and George waved just to them, so they were happy anyway!

It's Showtime!

2009-07-29T17:43:00.005+01:00

Emilia recently had the opportunity to attend a holiday club called 'Showstoppers'. She had a great time, as did Esther who particularly enjoyed the song, a snippet of which is below!

Busy Times

2009-07-06T12:51:00.003+01:00

It's been a busy time in the Scott household! Too busy to blog! It has been mostly good things (barring a regrettable incident with our van and a lamp post) which we have all enjoyed. The photos are from the Stourbridge carnival. The theme of this year was 'food'. Emilia and Esther dressed up as strawberries. Almost at the last minute Andy was asked to wear a Bananaman costume - he couldn't say no! The Church didn't win the main trophy this year, but we did win a smaller cup which Bananaman received from the Mayor of Dudley! It was a beautiful day, no sign of the thunderstorms from last year!

Emilia also celebrated her final day of Pre-School. They had a leavers' service followed by a Teddy Bears' Picnic, which started off fine and then in true British fashion the rain came and we all had to dash indoors! Although Emilia and her friend didn't seem too bothered under their brolly!

Adventures in our Bongo - Salisbury

2009-05-07T14:58:00.003+01:00

After Easter we took a well-earned break to Salisbury. We were fortunate to have nice weather and a pretty and quiet campsite. We enjoyed walking into the city centre and wandering around the cathedral. We also had fun at Old Sarum castle, where we practised our archery skills (not very good!)

Emilia and Esther had great fun pretending to drive the van, although we don't think the other campers appreciated a few early morning blasts of the horn.

we've also just returned from a long weekend camping near Bournemouth for the annual Baptist Assembly. It was a good weekend, apart from a small matter of chicken pox.

Happy Birthday Esther!

2009-04-13T09:12:00.003+01:00

It's the season of birthdays in our family at the moment! Esther celebrated her second birthday this weekend. She had a lovely day opening presents and eating cake! First thing in the morning, when we wished her a happy birthday she replied; 'Where's my cake?'! We also wish a happy birthday to Uncle Steve and our friend Carol and Katherine who all share Esther's birthday.

Opening presents and cards with a little help from someone!
Posing in her new outfit!

Blowing out the candle on the all important cake!

Happy Birthday Mummy!

2009-04-13T08:44:00.002+01:00

Mummy recently celebrated a 'significant' birthday! Daddy surprised her with a trip to London, a nice hotel and a West End show (Billy Elliot). They enjoyed catching up with their friend Elizabeth, who then had baby Hattie the next day! They also enjoyed wandering around the sights of London, visiting the Queen (she didn't invite them in!), and browsing around 'Fortnum and Mason', but they decided againts buying the lovely green wellies (£245)!

Outside 'The Ritz' - across the road from our hotel!

In the Queen's front garden!

The Queen was in residence

Red Nose Day

2009-03-15T19:28:00.002Z

In the spirit of Red Nose Day, Emilia and Esther wore red and took their noses with them to Pre-School and toddler group respectively!!

Honk honk!

Esther showing me where the nose should go, unfortunately her nose was too small!

Happy Birthday Emilia

2009-02-22T20:17:00.003Z

You are now 4 years old!

What a busy but fun weekend, a birthday party on Saturday and lunch with Grandparents and Auntie Anna today!

Some photo highlights;

More snow!!

2009-02-03T17:47:00.002Z

We've had more fun in the snow again this week. All the schools in the Dudley borough were closed today, giving us more time to play out. We went to the park this morning along with just about every other child in town, and then built a snowman in the garden this afternoon. We think this one is much more respectable than our last effort.

Belated Happy New Year!

2009-01-21T17:30:00.003Z

Well, there has been a lack of blogging on our part for some time. The reasons for this are:

a) We have not done anything interesting since New Year.

b) Shona has too many other 'little' projects going on to find the time to blog.

c) We had to spend a lot of time putting up shelves to accomodate all our new stuff.

We had a very nice time over Christmas and New Year and have plenty of new toys to play with now (all 4 of us!). Here are some pictures of us playing with some of them

A Snowy Day!

2009-01-05T13:30:00.000Z

2008 Scottie highlights

2008-12-05T12:33:00.029Z

As we entered 2008 we were hoping for a slightly quieter and less eventful year - no new babies or new jobs, no moving house, no major changes! We have enjoyed a year of being settled but looking back now, it has been a busy and eventful year. Read on to find out why!!!

In January we traded in our old red Rover for a jazzy Mazda Bongo - a cross between a car and a campervan. The roof goes up so you can sleep in it. We hope that, as well as getting us from A to B, it will be a source of cheap holidays!

Our new wheels!

Emilia turned three in February. She had a weekend of birthday celebrations, including a trip on the Severn Valley Railway and a fairly ambitious Princess Castle cake!

Birthday tea

We braved the cold (and snow) in March to take our first holiday in the Bongo. Northumberland has long been on our list of places to visit, and we very much enjoyed it. We packed a lot into four days, visiting Lindisfarne, Bamburgh Castle, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Edinburgh and the Alnwick Garden, which is highly recommended by the Scott family as an excellent day out!

Excited at sleeping in the car!!

Esther celebrated her first birthday in April, with a trip to the World famous Red House Glass Cone in Stourbridge, and a lion birthday cake. Big sister was very helpful in showing her how to open her presents and blow out her candles!

Birthday girl with a love of shoes!

In May we took the Bongo to Blackpool for the annual Baptist Assembly. It was a very enjoyable gathering where we were able to catch up with many old friends and acquaintances. It was a little cold for going to the beach and we didn't venture up the tower (what a rip off!) or to the pleasure beach, and we won't be returning to Blackpool for a holiday!

Camping in the sunshine!

Shona, Emilia and Esther visited the West Midlands Safari Park in June on a coach trip with Emilia's pre-school. It was good fun, especially the rides at the end, well Emilia enjoyed them, poor Esther had to sit and watch as she was too small!

Emilia enjoying the Theme Park

Stourbridge carnival takes place in July, and this was our first experience. The Church has always been very involved, organising a float and stalls along the High Street. We had a great day, and were really pleased to have been a part of the winning float - an Olympic theme, with representatives from every continent!

Emilia representing Japan

We took the girls abroad for the first time in August. We spent a pleasant fortnight camping in Picardie, enjoying the outdoor life, and even enjoying a few days of sunshine!

A sunny day at the seaside!

At the end of September we celebrated with Steve and Eileen (Andy's brother and his wife) at their wedding. Despite all the rain at the beginning of the month, it was a glorious day in every respect.

Mr & Mrs Scott

During October half-term we travelled to the east of England, and spent some enjoyable but chilly days exploring Peterborough, Norfolk and Cambridge. For 5th November the girls were allowed their first experiences of sparklers and toffee apples, both of which went down well, although Emilia was initially hesitant to eat the 'glass' on the outside of her apple!

Wrapped up, ready for bed!

December is always a busy month! We are enjoying the advent season and the girls have been busy creating all sorts of things - cards, tree decorations, paper chains and mince pies. We are looking forward to Emilia's Pre-School concert and she is excited to be playing Mary in the Sunday School play! Let the festivities commence!

Emilia making the Christmas cards!

Thanks for reading our message! We hope you have a fabulous, fun-filled Christmas season and a peaceful New Year.

Cooking with chocolate!

2008-11-16T19:21:00.003Z

We had the idea of making Krispie cakes last week. More of the mixture got eaten than made it into the cake cases, but isn't that what cooking is about when you're 3 and 1?

Adventures in our Bongo - East of England

2008-11-16T19:08:00.002Z

For half-term this year we took a trip to the eastern side of England. It was cold (we had snow in Stourbridge the day before we left), but we were well prepared for the weather and slept in hats and gloves.
We stopped first in Ferry Meadows, near Peterbrough and enjoyed exploring the country park and also taking a trip on the Nene Valley railway, where we had to pay with a credit card on one of the old manual swiping devices (you know, put the card on then a slip of paper then swipe over it, and fill in the rest by hand!) talk about stepping back in time! We also managed a glimpse of Thomas.Next stop was Norfolk, and a trip to Cromer to meet with friends. We had a lovely day catching up with the Lindners, playing (err learning ..) in the lifeboat museum and lunching in a cafe.

Finally, we drove down to Cambridge, slept in a service station and wandered around the colleges early on Sunday morning, and arrived home in time for lunch!

Caught in the act!

2008-10-28T13:12:00.002Z

She doesn't seem too concerned about it though!!

Uncle Steve and Auntie Eileen's wedding!

2008-10-10T16:02:00.004+01:00

Just incase anyone hasn't seen the scrapbook or the facebook album, here is a selection of photos from Uncle Steve and Auntie Eileen's wedding. We had great fun dressing up and pretending to be princesses!

A good time was had by all!

Our new 'pets'

2008-09-19T16:14:00.009+01:00

When we recieved a new book in the post this week, filled with ideas of things to make and do, it was a hard job to decide what to do first. In the end we chose caterpillars made out of egg boxes and straws. Since it was a sunny day, all the mess stayed outside!

It was Esther's first real turn at painting, and she had great fun. Emilia enjoyed showing her what to do, in typically bossy big sister fashion! So we now have two caterpillars, which keep appearing in different place around the house. They were named by Emilia.

Goggle the swimming pool caterpillar

Rover the caterpillar

A Sunflower at last!

2008-09-19T16:14:00.002+01:00

Finally one of our sunflowers has a flower!! Don't know what's happened to the leaves though!

New School

2008-09-12T21:08:00.003+01:00

Emilia started her new Pre-School last week. She has enjoyed herself a lot and has adjusted to the change of location/teachers/friends very well. So far she's earned herself two stars, one for being helpful and one for writing her name. She enjoys the 'cafe' they have at snack time, where she is allowed to pour her own drink, and has been very productive with painting, sticking and drawing!

She's also very proud of her uniform, particularly the long socks, and she hopes to be able to wear her new pumps for doing PE in the school hall very soon!

Long may it continue!

She walks!

2008-09-02T22:22:00.003+01:00

After months of being almost there, several pairs of ruined trousers (at the knees) and a few days of hesitant practice, we are now confident to say that Esther is walking. She took some tentative steps on the ferry home from France, and has done a little more each day since then. She is very proud of her achievement, and we are pleased to not have aching backs anymore!!

In the end, she did go earlier than Emilia, but only by a month. They both seem to prefer talking to walking!!

I was going to post a video, but it came out sideways, and I haven't worked out how to rotate it, so it may follow in due course ...

15 minutes of fame!

2008-08-31T14:54:00.002+01:00

BBC West Midlands' newest recruits! Not appearing on a screen near you anytime soon!

Post holiday fun!

2008-08-31T14:51:00.001+01:00

Classic! What child has never done this?!

Adventures (not) in our Bongo, part 3

2008-08-23T21:13:00.009+01:00

Owing to circumstances beyond our control we were unable to take the Bongo to France this summer. We are grateful to Parents Scott for the loan of their car, so we were still able to go away, and spend a fortnight under canvas instead!

A good time had by all! Esther enjoyed the laid back, outdoor way of life, and has ruined several pairs of trousers by crawling in the mud. Emilia enjoyed meeting some other little boys and girls on the campsite, and was undeterred by the fact that many of them were foreign and couldn't understand what she was saying. She also liked the swimming pool, bouncy castle and trampoline, but when we asked her what her favourite thing about the holiday was, she answered without a moment's thought or hesitation; the little trollies at the supermarkets! (Just the right size for her to push around!). We enjoyed some time to chill out, read books, visit some interesting places, like the World War 1 Historial Museum and the catherdral in Amiens. Shona was surprised to discover that a French cappucino is not the same as an English one, but is still nice.

Emilia disliked the smell of seafood stalls, the chocolate in the pain au chocolat and the cheese in a croque monsieur, but she did enjoy learning some new words in French and paying with French money.

We enjoyed varied weather, as you can see from the photos, and also varied cuisine, including one successful and one semi-successful barbecue!

Sunshine in Le Crotoy

Gardening success

2008-08-09T15:13:00.003+01:00

In all our attempts to grow things in the garden, the things that have done best have been the sunflowers. We planted them in plastic cups at the toddler group at Church and successfully transplanted them in to the garden. One is now even bigger than me! They still haven't flowered and we hope they don't choose to do so while we are away!

How annoying: on the morning we were leaving for our holiday, we looked out of the window to see the biggest sunflower had broken and fallen over! No flowers yet, but we did eat a tomato from our plant this afternoon!

Girls can never have too many clothes!

2008-07-29T21:55:00.004+01:00

I continue with my new hobby of dress-making. The girls are modeling my two favourites. In the top photo Emilia is wearing a skirt I made, although it can't be seen too well. It's green with small flowers on and has 3 tiers (sounds impressive??!). In the bottom photo Esther is wearing a blue top with white spots, it suits her!

They are also embracing my hobby and Emilia regularly asks me to make her something when she's going to bed!

I haven't made anything for Andy yet, any suggestions?

School Trip

2008-07-22T19:17:00.005+01:00

We went on Emilia's Pre-School trip to the West Midlands Safari Park last week. It was a fun day out with a coach load of excited children plus a couple of cars with the teachers. (Why ever didn't they want to go on the coach??)

We saw lots of animals, including lions, tigers, giraffes, cheetahs, wolves and wallabys. If you ask Emilia what she saw there, she will reply; 'We didn't see any monkeys'. Esther would have liked to get out of the caoch among the animals, Emilia was more interested in trying to spot her teachers in their cars.

After the animals came the funfair. There were plenty of rides for the younger children to enjoy. Emilia and her friends had lots of fun. The trip ended with the obligatory ice-creams and a very tired journey home!

Weekend walking

2008-07-15T20:27:00.006+01:00

So, we took a walk on Saturday, to Kinver Edge, not far from where we live. It was nice apart from the showers. Emilia stood (carefully) on the roof of an old brick shelter to have her photo taken. Andy has cleverly remastered it to make it look brighter!

On Sunday Esther impressed the congregation at church by taking her very first unaided steps infront of everyone, earning herself a round of applause. She hasn't done it again though, so everyone who thought she was going to walk well before Emilia did (17.5 months) may be forced to eat their words, watch this space!

Finally, drawing has become a favourite activity for both girls recently. They like to sit at their little table in the dining room and scribble away to their hearts' content.

Hope '08

2008-07-08T19:46:00.005+01:00

This week is a week of hope in Stourbridge. Organised by Andy and others from the Churches Together in Stourbridge group. It began at the carnival on Sunday, yesterday was a day of prayer for the town and today we have been cleaning up the streets ready for 'Stourbridge in Bloom'. Even little people helped!

Busy Weekend!

2008-07-07T19:13:00.005+01:00

All the Scotts have had a busy weekend! On Saturday Andy and Emilia went to London, to celebrate the commissioning of his cousins in the Salvation Army. Emilia was impressed with her trip on the Underground and the sight of London taxis! Shona and Esther took a more laid back trip on a barge, with other friends from Church. It was very entertaining. Esther particularly enjoyed the locks, and spent much of the 4 hour trip trying to jump out of the boat and into the water!

Esther entertaing everyone on the boat!

Drifting along!

On Sunday we all took part in the Stourbridge Carnival, helping on the Church stall (Shona painted lots of faces) and also in the parade where Emilia represented Japan in the Church's Olympic 'float', she would have liked to keep her costume! She got first choice of what to wear - there have to be some perks of being a minister's child! They won the prize for the best entry in the parade, and everyone had fun, despite the rain/thunderstorms!

Emilia dressed for the parade!

Little 'Crocs' for Esther

2008-06-30T19:46:00.005+01:00

After a few months of longing after Emilia's Crocs, Esther finally got some of her own yesterday, with thanks to Nanna and Grandad, who found some when on holiday! She likes them so much that she keeps trying to eat them! We managed not to lose them while we were out today, unlike her sunhat, oh dear!

Although she continues to refuse to walk by herself, if she spies an open stairgate, she'll be at the top before you know it, as you can see...

Artist at work!

2008-06-26T17:09:00.005+01:00

My first attempt to post a video clip here, hope it works! Emilia is enjoying drawing lately, and concentrates very hard on her creations!

This is one of my fave pictures of Esther, with her cheeky grin and crinkly nose! We see this face a lot!

N.B. As I was concentrating hard on making some strawberry shortcakes earlier I found myself sticking MY toungue out! Guess it runs in the family!

Ouch!

2008-06-22T19:52:00.002+01:00

This has been the week for bumps and bruises. Last Sunday, in her haste to get to the door, Emilia tripped and smacked her cheek against the wall, she has a big bruise. Then, on Thursday, as I was putting the beaters into my hand-mixer I accidentally switched it on and my hand got stuck between the beaters - it was sore but all I have to show for it now is a tiny cut on one knuckle. I have learned my lesson though - it will remain unplugged in future until the beaters are safely in!

Emilia made me laugh this morning when she saw me using the mixer again. She said; 'be careful of your hand Mummy.' Like that is the kind of thing you do twice!

Whhhhhhhhhhhhhyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy??!!

2008-06-11T19:08:00.003+01:00

This is the cry ringing in our ears almost all the time at the moment. Emilia wants to know everything about everything. A (small) selection of the questions she has asked in the last few days are:

Why is that the oven?
Why are we going to the airport?
Why are Granny and Grampa going on holiday?
Why is it Wednesday?
Why am I having a bath?
Why am I in the buggy?

The challenge is to answer the question without being drawn in to an endless cycle:

E: Why is that the oven?
Me: Because that is where we cook our food.
E: Why?
Me: Because it is hot.
E: Why?
Me: Because it is the oven.
E: Why?

And so on!

'You're doing a Maria'

2008-05-26T19:30:00.005+01:00

So said one of the ladies at Church, on hearing of my latest hobby! Having acquired a sewing machine some time ago, I have recently had a go at making some clothes for the girls - these trousers are made from a pillow case (hence the reference to Maria - Sound of Music). Other items include a skirt and matching top. I've also just finished a dress for myself, and am pleased with the end result. Maybe I'll post a photo, if Andy takes me somewhere smart so I can wear it!

Esther's newest hobby seems to be playing with the washing machine. When it's full she likes to watch the clothes spinning, if it's empty she'll poke her head inside! (Emilia was just the same at this age!) She also enjoys posing for photos (can you tell?!)

Travels in our Bongo, part two - Blackpool

2008-05-16T17:52:00.003+01:00

Our second trip away in the Bongo was to the Baptist Assembly in Blackpool over the last Bank Holiday. We had fun again, camping at a haven campsite and going off each morning to the meetings. We met lots and lots of people that we know from all over the place.

Emilia enjoyed the children's activites and the family funday on the Sunday!

More highlights!

2008-05-12T18:09:00.006+01:00

Obviously, the main highlights of the last few years have been our girls, who keep us amused and entertained ....

but we have also enjoyed celebrating Andy's graduation from Bristol along with his ordination in July last year

... and several more holidays in tents (how much do we love camping? Of the six wedding anniversaries we have celebrated so far, five of them have been at campsites in various and random locations! Number seven is also likely to be the same!) And we have recently moved 'upmarket' in the camping stakes, with the purchase of our Bongo

Andy and Shona, still going strong!

9th May 1998, 10 years ago ......

2008-05-08T21:13:00.016+01:00

...a shy young theologian approached a shy young linguist (via her friend!) and love's young dream was born!

Here are some highlights from the last 10 years! With apologies for the poor quality of the photos - these were in the days before digital cameras and also when Andy had longer hair than Shona!

Shona dressed up and ready for the first date, along with her friend Elizabeth who was going out for Lemon Chicken!

The location of that first date was Pizza Express, Exeter, followed by a walk around Marsh Barton Industrial Estate, oh yes, Andy knew how to impress me!!!

And it obviously worked, since 6 months later we took a trip to Torquay to celebrate half a year together! (Awwww!) It was cold and we circled the town many times searching for the public convienieces.

During our third year at University, Shona lived in France. We spent many hours and many pennies chatting on the phone and texting (on our HUGE new moblie phones). We also enjoyed several trips across the channel, including a weekend in Paris for my 21st birthday - a day sightseeing and a day at Disneyland with Shona's parents!

In July 2000, Andy popped the question! He took me to Torpoint to watch a football match (still an old romantic!) and then down to Looe in Cornwall for tea. While we were walking on the beach he got down on one knee, and I gladly accepted. At which point he opened the rucksack he'd been carrying so protectively all day and we toasted our engagement! The date was set for August 11 2001, and after much planning and crafting (and sitting of finals) the big day dawned!

For our honeymoon we returned to Looe in Cornwall, and spent a fortnight in a tiny little cottage on a holiday complex.

Since then we have enjoyed lots of holidays together, mostly in our tent - the furthest away from home that we have camped was in Copehagen in August 2003, we managed to cram everything into our backpacks, and took a cheap flight to Denmark. It was awesome!

The furthest from home that we have ever ventured was the following year, when we visited our good friends the Fage Family in Namibia. We had a fab time and would have stayed longer if we could have!

A couple of months after returning from Namibia we discovered that our lives were about to change sigificantly, as we would move from Exeter to Bristol, and also that we would be welcoming a new addition to the family!

To be continued ...

The start of things to come!

2008-04-29T19:12:00.000+01:00

Emilia got her summer Crocs at the weekend and ever since then Esther has been eyeing them up. She grabs them at every opportunity and tries her best to put them on her feet. No doubt this is only the start of a lifetime of swapping or stealing each others shoes/clothes/bags etc etc. They are proper girls, no tomboys here! If only they made Crocs in little size 3! Poor Esther, your feet need to grow a bit more yet!

Start them young!

2008-04-26T21:23:00.005+01:00

Emilia enjoyed assisting with the lawn-mowing last week! She also likes helping with washing up, washing the car, sweeping and pegging out the washing. However, she doesn't seem too keen on tidying up her own toys!

Fun in the garden!

2008-04-22T19:23:00.000+01:00

We are making the most of the fine weather and the new garden toys Esther had for her birthday!

My New Toy!

2008-04-21T21:11:00.003+01:00

For my recent birthday I received a digital scrapbooking software package, and have spent many hours playing around with it since. Today I discovered a cool new effect that can be applied to photos. It's called 'Dad's old camera' and it will make a photo look like it was taken sometime in the 1970s! Cool!

Travels in our Bongo - Northumberland

2008-04-19T20:55:00.004+01:00

Our first camping trip in our Bongo. We went to Northumberland, despite the chilly weather forecast! Our campsite was rather remote - a farm near Berwick-upon-Tweed - we shared our surroundings with horses, chickens, dogs and a few other hardy campers!

Inside the bongo with the bed set up

The weather turned out to be ok and we managed to visit all the places we wanted to without getting wet. The only rain was on the final morning and if you happened to be in Alnwick Sainsburys on that day you may have caught sight of four slightly bedraggled people, two of whom were still in their pyjamas!

Edinburgh Castle

In four days we managed to pack in trips to Lindisfarne (a bit touristy), Bamburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Berwick and The Alnwick Garden, which has been one of our favourite visits in recent times!

By the Water Cascade at the Alnwick Garden

All in all we had a great time and we're looking forward to the next trip - Blackpool - in a few weeks time!

Random Finds

2008-04-15T19:20:00.003+01:00

I am quite accustomed to finding things in strange places, so I didn't bat an eyelid when I found a tumble drier ball perfectly balanced on a door handle today! Other random thingswe have found recently include two wooden spoons in Esther's bedroom, hairbrushes in drawers and a happyland lady in a potty!

Introducing .....

2008-04-14T20:57:00.007+01:00

The smallest member of the family, but quite speedy. Esther likes exploring. She also likes going in the bath, standing up, playing the drum, eating anything she can find and trying to escape out of the front door. She dislikes being still!

Emilia likes to be in charge, she will probably be a teacher one day! Her favourite things include going to cafés, buying new shoes/bags, playing CDs and telling her little sister what to do! She will tell you that she doesn't like mushrooms or broccoli and she doesn't seem to like going to bed!

Shona keeps things ticking over at home. In a previous life she was a teacher but now prefers to stay at home with the children. She is often found in the kitchen - cooking, baking, washing, sweeping - or more lately, at the computer indulging in her newest hobby - digital scrapbooking!

Andy, the only male presence in the house, enjoys football, running, taking photos, reading and playing with his girls. He is a local Church leader, supporter of Watford FC and sometimes finds time to update his own blog. He is resigned to the fact that 10 years from now he will no longer be able to get into the bathroom!