Monday 31 December 2007
Living Off The Hump
Posted by alice c 4 comments
Sunday 30 December 2007
School Shoes for MissM
Posted by alice c 10 comments
Saturday 29 December 2007
Remote Control Wars
Viking - Family Edition
Ross Kemp on Gangs - Polish edition
Posted by alice c 6 comments
Friday 28 December 2007
The River
My parents live in a mill house beside a river at the bottom of a steep-sided valley. In front of the house there is a bridge across the river and we sit on the flat slates of the pillars and watch the water flow around the small island in the middle. Upstream, geese swim in the shallows beside the meadow.
In the summer, the water level is low and my children have flipped stones, paddled and built dams. In winter, the river can become a raging torrent and the Mill House has been flooded a number of times.
The noise of the river is inescapable - a constant tumbling sound that is the last thing you hear at night and the first thing you are aware of in the morning.
Today, we walked beside the river to the weir where the flow is divided. On one side the water flows along the leat channel to the back of the Mill. Once it powered the wheel that ground the flour for the neighbourhood. Some of the original machinery is still in the barn next to the house.
On the other side the water tumbles over the weir edge. It falls past a little wood of wild daffodils and a meadow of butterflies. Otters hunt salmon in this river.
We are very privileged to be able to visit such a wonderful place and grateful to my parents for making us so welcome whenever we drive down that steep hill and into the yard in front of the mill house.
Posted by alice c 11 comments
Thursday 27 December 2007
Coming Up For Air
Posted by alice c 8 comments
Wednesday 26 December 2007
Christmas Pudding Charms
I found the Wishbone
Posted by alice c 9 comments
Tuesday 25 December 2007
Christmas Day
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Monday 24 December 2007
Christmas Eve
MrM and MissM have done their last minute shopping.
trays of clementines and a bowl of nuts.
All special treats for Christmas feasts.
And now, somehow, we have to persuade
MasterM (18) and MissM (16) to go to bed.
Because
otherwise
Father Christmas
won't be visiting
ChezMagpie
tonight.
Posted by alice c 3 comments
Sunday 23 December 2007
C'mon You Irish!!
as their fans look on in disbelief.
Today the fog is so bad
"Offside"
"That throw is not STRAIGHT"
"What is the touch judge THINKING??"
The fog gets worse.
We cannot see the middle of the pitch.
And then, incredibly, we win.
How did that happen?
Apparently, Sailosi Tagicakibau scored a try.
I think it is time for a pint of Guinness.
Posted by alice c 4 comments
Thursday 20 December 2007
Merry Christmas from ChezMagpie
Posted by alice c 19 comments
Wednesday 19 December 2007
Decorating the Tree
MrM's favourite - the obligatory train.
MrM
goes to shed to find Red Bucket
which should have been washed and polished last January.
He removes all the wrapping from the outside tap and washes the Red Bucket.
Because it wasn’t done in January.
Carefully lays Financial Times on carpet.
Places Red Bucket on top.
Skillfully arranges bricks inside bucket
so that the tree does not fall over.
Here ends MrM’s involvement.
MasterM's favourite - an action toy, of course.
MasterM
goes through box of decorations like tornado.
Tosses tissue paper and bubble wrap over entire room.
Picks out favourite decorations.
Places on tree on Principal Branches.
Here ends MasterM’s involvement.
MissM's favourite - purple is SO stylish
MissM
meticulously goes through remaining decorations
And places on tree on Secondary Branches.
Gets photo-evidence to resolve important garland issue:
“Is Bead Garland draped vertically or horizontally?”
Here ends MissM’s involvement.
The Lovely MissE's favourite - apparently it's cute.
MrsM
Arranges lights,
Arranges garlands,
Repacks tissue paper,
Checks for lost decorations,
Reallocates decorations
so that some of MissM’s are on Principal Branches,
Sweeps up needles,
Replaces wrapping on outside tap.
This contains a babysitting voucher from Great Aunt Janet.
As you see, I get all the fun bits.
Posted by alice c 10 comments
Tuesday 18 December 2007
Cooking with MissM
Posted by alice c 13 comments
Monday 17 December 2007
A Cautionary Tale.
Several years ago MasterM discovered spoof writing
It made us laugh a lot
Which made us laugh even more.
And then we got our comeuppance.
On Boxing Day (the day after Christmas)
"This year we are in China
And the moral of the story is:
Posted by alice c 10 comments
Sunday 16 December 2007
Christmas Cards
Posted by alice c 9 comments
A Seasonal Snapshot.
Posted by alice c 9 comments