Spot the difference?

We were having a discussion in the pub about baby photos (HI Lindy, T, S and B!) and I thought it was time I posted photos of me (and my sister) when we were little.

When my parents lived in the old house, they had a "rogues gallery" of pictures of us. So, I took a few digital images of them. I have NO idea why I didn't think of this sooner!

Mostly they are professional photos done for school or nursery. My less flattering ones are hidden though!






I'm the oldest. I like the last two in particular. I think the one where we are laughing is a great photo. If I remember rightly the photo had my sister in stitches talking about a silly butterfly or something. It really shows my sister in her best light there. I love it.

There are more photos at my parents' but I think its best to scan them, when I have some (a lot!) of time free!

So, who looks like who?

Oscar's Party

We were SO lucky with the weather! I kept checking the forecasts and as predicted, it stayed dry.

It was a good job as I had invited a lot of Oscar's friends. As the children are still quite little, we had their mums (and dads sometimes) too. Oscar had a great time. We had a go at Pass the Parcel, which was good, but a little disorganised! They all got bored once they had opened their layer!

The food, was a success, as usual. Span and his mum and dad did most of the final sort out, and did lots of the cooking. Thankfully, they enjoy it. I think everyone went home as stuffed as they wanted.

Oscar did so well with gifts. I feel slightly embarrassed about the sheer amount of stuff he now has! His favourite was a London Underground T-shirt from C and C. So far he has demanded it every morning. I suspect, we might need to buy another at some point!!

Jasmine found the whole thing a little overwhelming and confusing, which was something I didn't anticipate at all. During Pass the parcel, she walked into the centre of the circle and just lay down, as if going to sleep. I suspect she felt a lack of attention. I felt quite sorry for her, but she survived and I somehow managed to get tonnes more photos of her than of the birthday boy himself! That said, he moves ALL the time, so it is hard to get nice pictures.

He mostly spent the afternoon walking over our terraced gardens with his party guests. Our garden is definitely a fun one for children. It was reassuring to see the older kids enjoying it safely. (something I await with O and J with impatience!)

So, here are my favourite photos from the day.

He's 3!

Oscar's birthday was last Friday and we had a wonderful day. His actual birthday was pretty quiet, but in hindsight, that was a good thing considering we had his party the next day (post to follow)

Oscar is such a lovely lad. He is doing pretty well with the potty training, and is talking so much. It is very cute.

He got a "village in a bag", a wooden toy for making pictures and a Kids K'Nex set from us. All small things, as we couldn't think of what to get him other than that. We are thinking of letting Father Christmas know about him needing a bike, in time for Christmas!!

For tea, we had Pasta Bolognaise as it is his favourite, and for lunch I asked him what he wanted, so he (and Jas) had bread, butter, cheese and ham!

In the evening, I spent time decorating his cake. I made a London Underground cake, which I am VERY pleased with. We had fun and games actually making the sponge, as my effort was a complete disaster. Span, however, had more success.

My left over sponge did not go to waste though. I had a brainwave on Friday afternoon about combining the sponge (which was fine, it had just sunk) and some stewed plums I had cooked the day before. I left it overnight in the fridge and then the following morning added some ready made custard, and just before Oscar's party, topped it with whipping cream. By the end of the party it was empty, so i think it was a hit!

Span's sister arrived during Friday evening and we had a nice glass of wine and a catch up. I think it was the calm before the storm!!

A sign of things to come??

This is Jasmine's latest game. I think she looks very cute.

Bye Bye Butler Avenue

My parents moved out of the family home yesterday. They moved in when I was 9 months old. It is a lovely house, with a lot of fond memories. It is going to be very surreal to go back there, and NOT go into Butler Avenue!!

My parents don't need a 4 bedroom house with bathroom, ensuite and two separate toilets. They also need the money for other things and they are definite winners of the property market right now. I think even they would admit that having a smaller space will make life easier. I cannot wait to see it, I was expecting to visit them there last weekend, but due to typical housemoving delays, it was changed to yesterday.

Apparently, it ran OK, but not smoothly. It was a 6 house chain (as far as I know) meaning there was a lot of paperwork, money and bureaucracy to deal with.

Before I left, I took a few shots of the house. I didn't take indoor ones as the light wasn't that good. I will miss the house but there is so much to see in the new house. I am so excited about seeing it.

Bec's Birthday

For the first time in years, I was with my sister for her birthday. It was lovely.

She arranged for us all to meet in Regents Park for a picnic. Bec did all the cooking herself, and made so many delicious things. Highlights were the homemade pizzas and the bread. Delicious.

We celebrated with lots of Pimms and Lemonade, wine and beer. O and J loved it too, although I think they found the lake a little too tempting. I would recommend the park to anyone. It was lively, clean and a relaxing place in the madness of London. I hope we can do it again sometime.

Obviously, i took photos. These are my favourites.




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These two were taken at my Parents' (now old) house.

Greenbelt 2007

I haven't had time to update for ages, but we all went down to Cheltenham for Greenbelt and we had a wonderful time.

The children enjoyed the Children's Festival and the Inflatables, and I enjoyed Chas and Dave (I know) An interesting discussion about Fostering, and as many do at GB, we all enjoyed wandering, drinking coffee and beer, and watching.
The weather was absolutely superb. Unlike the rest of our summer, we were truly lucky.
It was lovely to catch up with our GB friends and make new ones. Roll on next August.