Miscellaneous Monday #4

Ducks or Geese?

old smithfield st market, Manchester

'What I did this summer' Part 1

I have been off for most of August and have been quite busy.

So in the spirit of the annual return to school essay, set by our teachers on our first day back, this is, 'What I did in MY summer holidays!'

I have been regularly going to to classes for Pilates, Yoga and also the gym.

I went with a pal to Shambellie House nr Dumfries. This the Scottish National Museum of Costume. A bit of a grand title for what I thought was an average collection and display. It is in need of a makeover, for my taste too quaint and too homespun. We went specifically for the Jean Muir retrospective, which was one room with approx 18 mannequins. Displaying sublime examples of Miss Muirs designs. It was well worth the entrance fee of £3.50. We wondered around the garden and admired the Wicker woman scupture. She was stunning from all angles.

Larry and I spent my birthday weekend in Manchester, just the two of us. Eating, shopping and lots of walking. On the Sunday, Larry had to attend a corporate event held at Headingly for the Ashes and so I had the day all to myself without clock watching , browsing the shops, the Manchester City Art Gallery, walking the streets,

Albert Square, Prince Albert Monument & Town Hall

the Urbis Exhbition Centre

a pavement of ducks

amongst the stalls in the street markets,

I took tonnes of photos

The Manchester Wheel, a smaller version of The London Eye

and I drank lots of milky coffee

and ate more than one krispy kreme donuts...

Watch for Part 2 coming soon....

Visit MamaGeek and Cecily, creators of Photo Story Friday.

I WOULD RATHER STICK NEEDLES IN MY EYES!

The kids have broken up from school and today is the first day of their hols and they are still sleeping soundly, its eleven am. This is the first year that I am working during the hols, but I have taken most of it off and I will only be at work for about 10 days in total, so I am pleased about that, though I am not sure that they are!

In summers past, we have been very busy with varoius activities, camping, trips out or in, film days, with young kids and six weeks spread before you, you gotta have a plan! As the weather here is usually poor at best, with overcast skies and intemittent showers. At worst the rain comes down like razor blades and lies in wet lakes for weeks. When the kids go back to scool its then the sun comes out agian and we have an Indian summer, when no one is off work/school to appreciate it. I can tell you the weather in Cumbria on any given day changes in a hearbeat. I've known, bright sunshine and blue skies, then within half an hour, wind and hail the size of cherries!

For the first week of the holidays we would always create a ' wall muriel' well that's what we called it! We chose a theme, ie. Millenium, Family, Interests, Star Wars or The year in Colour. We would then pin a long length of plain wall backing paper to the wall, probably about ten feet of it. We would draw within our own 'section' and paint, collage, colour in and write phrases etc. At the end of the week, we would unveil this art work to Dad when he came home and the kids would be thrilled. We have quite a collection, as we often played this 'game' at the kids birthday parties when they we pre-school through to infants. It was always a success, what kid doesnt like to draw and write on the wall?

Of course now, we have teenagers in the house with teenage hormones raging and my menopausal hormones waning! My daughter (16) will work some of the summer if a job presents itself, which at this late stage I doubt, frankly I imagine one has to actually remove ones arse from the bed to get up and at it! My son (13) will stay in his fuggy box of a bedroom and strum his guitars until his fingers bleed or I beg him to help me with some chore or other, which he will do and the grunts and sighs at least reassure me he is alive!

We have some small breaks planned, the kids are meeting their Dad in Manchester next week for a few days, to stay in the corporate flat with him and they will see the new Batman film and shop in the malls. SO I get some time alone with the remote, a gin bottle and a chunk or seven of galxay.

My DH (dear husband) holds a corporate jolly on a boat at Cowes each year and this year I am driving us down there and staying on a farm in a Vintage Airstream trailer (I try and keep the vintage theme going : see my site). DH will be busy entertaining his people and hopefully we get to see him the odd evening. Cross fingers the kids won't be too aghast at it all!

We leave Cowes on my 50th birthday and travel up to my folks in Kent for a BBQ. Followed by a day at Bluewater which will fulfill everyones family shopping expectations. The Apple shop, Starbucks, Primark, Model Zone, Hmv/virgin, Rigby & Peller and Betty Jackson.I will drive home alone to collect Pippa our trusty black lab and the kids and DH will spend a few more days in Manchester.

I am booked in for a Spa day with my pal, in a posh old Hall in the Lakes end of august, a birthday treat!

The kids may also go camping with DH in their last week, this is something I avoid like the plague. I would rather stick needles in my eyes!