Busy, busy, busy. 

We made our trip to the school outfitters on Tuesday and are all set for the big day now.

Alfie had his x-ray on Wednesday and he is still not allowed to put weight on it. However, plans have been made for me to stay during his transition sessions and we will review it after that. Not how I envisaged the start of big boys school but never mind.

Thursday morning I made lemon curd for the Delph Show this coming Saturday; on Friday baked a cake for the same.  

Friday evening I had a really lovely night out with some of the mums from school and extended friends of others.

I planted out my Christmas harvest potato tubers, complete with homegrown compost, on Friday afternoon.

If you fancy doing the same you need to get them in by the end of the first week of September. Here is a link that will help you achieve home grown potatoes for the Christmas table!

How to have home-grown potatoes for Christmas.

Also purchased some bulbs, amongst them were Tulip Arabian Mystery

 

and these beautiful Anemones


All can be planted out between now and November and the first should flower from about April.


This morning I made Thyme flavoured soda bread with a poppy seed crust, again for the Delph Show and I went along today and look what happened!

OMG. I was so chuffed, can't explain! It is a great little local show and so happy with myself. 

Here are more lovely pictures from the day.

Well done little man Seb Daw.

Can't manage any more of a post than this today.xx

~Summer hols are nearly over!~

Well, just a week left before the boys are back to school and we are making sure the scrap books we started at the beginning of the Olympics are up to date. 

Negotiations are ongoing regarding Alfie being at school - should be no problem with the wheelchair they say. (However we really hope he will be allowed to put weight on it after the Wednesday x-ray.)

Requests have been made to promote Daisy Nook Farmers Market. Go along and support this new initiative if you can.


Saturday morning we took a trip for an over night stay at Nana's, near Chester.

We had a look round the shops, with Alfie in the wheelchair which was really useful, including a wonderful vintage shop, Becniks Wonder Emporium. (I have even more respect now for those who have to look after wheelchair-bound people on a regular basis.) Then hubby went to play golf whilst me and the boys went to Nana's for a sandwich lunch. 

On Sunday morning we went out for coffee and then to Greenacres Animal Park and had a great time petting and feeding some of the small animals.


 After a lovely pub lunch we left Nana's and headed for home; ahh, there IS no place like home! 

That is about it for this post. Busy getting ready for back to school so hope to post better next week and must do some baking!.x

Holiday Cut Short!

Well, we came home from Flamingo Land a little early and with one certain little boy with a spectacular spiral fracture of a broken leg! Yes, Alfie Boo Houghton has finally done what I expected a long time ago - a visit to A and E, and then some!

See here my boy taking it easy on the sofa! We head off to the Fracture Clinic on Wednesday to have a more sturdy plaster put on. what fun starting big boys school in a cast. As somebody said, the teachers will certainly know his name very quickly!

On Thursday we decided to have Movie Night so I made popcorn cartons, we had marshmallows and I made some tickets the boys had to show at the beginning and when they wanted a drink!

We all sat down together and watched Diary of A Wimpy Kid with Harry on his beanbag, Alfie on the sofa and us on the floor.  It was great family fun, if a bit gross here and there!

On Saturday afternoon Harry and I went to the Denshaw Flower Show to support this local event and to see if I had managed to win a prize. Harry spent some time on the park outside and I had a chat with a few people but, no joy, as was not lucky enough to win a prize; plan to try my luck at the Delph Show on September 1st!

Here is a quick reminder of the next fantastic event run by the very wonderful Saddleworth Creative Network.

The first time one of the Network's events has run over two days. Should be a wonderful showcase of local talent. Bring the family for a great day out.

 

I am advertising the sale of Summer Goody Boxes on my Facebook page and these are available to order until September 8th priced at £15 - great if you are planning a picnic treat or family gathering. They will be similar to the hamper I put together for the  School Summer Fair at Delph school; a posted a picture of it on my blog in June.

All for now, just getting though the last couple of weeks of holidays before getting the boys ready for school.x

Lose ends before our holiday.

Well, I have been quite busy the last couple of days getting ready for the holiday, we leave at 8am tomorrow. But I have had time to do other stuff as well. My chives in the front garden are growing so well that I thought it was such a shame to lose them by just cutting them back. So, I looked on the internet and found a way to dry them in the microwave - witness below the process. Cool huh?

I laid the chives on kitchen paper, covered them over with it and then put them in the microwave on full power for 1 minute. They come out just perfectly dried then I snipped them and put them in a jar!

The boys had a couple of friends round for cake and ice cream on Friday so I made an almond pound cake with cranberries and fresh lemonade, too. Just gorgeous on a hot day! 

Plus I have also been making lemon curd for the Denshaw show next weekend. This is the first time I have entered anything like this. I delivered it plus a papercraft entry to a friend on Friday, to take on my behalf, so wish me luck and I will report back.

Yesterday afternoon I did a bit of weeding and also planted our wedding favours in the garden from the wedding we attended at the end of June. They were our name cards that had flower seeds within the card. I really hope they come up before the end of summer. 

 I think they are just a mixture of cutting flowers.

Well, that is it until after next weekend when I will hopefully telling you about the fun we had in some sun at Scarborough.xx

Green fingers - me?

Said I wasn't probably going to be around for a little while, however had to share this. I have had a compost bin for at least a year and have turned it over now and again but not regularly. We had been "George Saves the World by Lunchtime" http://www.amazon.co.uk/George-Saves-World-Lunchtime-Project/dp/1903919509 so decided to go and look at it.

I have even dug some through in the front garden, hoping to get my lavender to grow a little better, if nothing else.

Chuffed to bits so have taken out the good stuff as I intend to plant potatoes for Christmas when we get back from Scarborough and will keep adding to the bin from now on. Heeeehee!

Keeping Busy!

Well, this week we have been trying to keep busy with the boys doing lots of bike riding outside whenever the rain held off. The boys and I went toy shopping on Monday with their pocket money and we have had a walk past the reservoir on our mini scavenger hunt route, I found this on Pinterest. Hope you can read it and will enjoy it like we do!

Harry has done really well feeding Honey, his rabbit, by himself for most of the week.

On Wednesday the Gramps took them to see the Mickey Mouse Magic show at The Lowry and they had a great time.

Thursday we had over night guests and their little girl loves playing with the boys, witness below.

Hubby played golf on Friday so I took the boys to play on the pirate ship play area, which they love.

We had made plans to go to Animal Quackers at Bacup on Sunday but we arrived to find it was closed. (Compaint already made to Groupon!) We had packed a picnic so we went on to a childhood park of Jon's, Victoria Park in Haslingden, and the boys had a great time on the zip wire. When we came home we had a dry run putting up tables and things so we know what we are doing for camping - we leave on Monday and are all VERY excited.

I have done no baking this week, but I have been trying to gee up some trade between getting lots of new likes on my Facebook page and today have opened my Etsy shop. (Jon feels he has lost me to technology!!) Hoping to generate some funds for the family pot. I do have lemon curd to make as I hope to enter it into the Denshaw Show when we get back from Scarborogh, but of course it needs to be there before then so dropping it off with a friend.

I have started putting things aside for camping packing so work tops in the kitchen are covered in lists and baskets and equipment is being stored behind a sofa at the moment until we start to pack the car on Sunday.

Well, that is it I think but may be a week or more until I am here next. 
                                                     Keeeeeep creating and baking!!  xx

One down, five to go!

This has been the first week of the boys being on holiday so I have been getting myself into activity mode with them, so I don't go mad and they are occupied and hopefully enjoying themselves. This week they have had high tea outside, complete with bunting, because the weather turned meaning we couldn't take lunch to the park.

 
We practically emptied the library of books on Wednesday with subjects including anything from spying and Where's Wally? to early reader books for Harry and story books for Aflie.

Whist they played on bikes and go carts I gave the front garden a good weeding, so happy with the way it is looking at the moment. I am very excited about a Seedum which I uprooted from somebody else's garden and it has taken in the moss on the front wall really well with a very pretty pink flower.

Just today I finished a wedding journal and I am sooo very chuffed with it. I love the look and the feel, visually and touchy feel of it. Looking for more orders now as this was the last of the recent four I had to complete.

Friday saw the opening of the Olympic Games 2012 and I thoroughly enjoyed it. So far have been enjoying the swimming, syncronized diving and the gymnastics.


My nephew was married on Saturday - he is now 31 so how old do I feel? Here are the Houghton's, en famille, and not a bad photo either.

That is about it for now. x