Word Magic

There is something magical about being so engrossed in a book, you just can’t put it down, whether at night in bed, on the train, or as in the case of Jenny, the transfer from childminder to home front door to armchair. She didn’t even take her coat off.

Just in case you want to know, the book is Cool by Michael Morpurgo and she finished it in one school day, (which I assume included some other learning in addition to reading).

Team work

I missed posting yesterday, which I’m a little grumpy about. It was an incredibly busy day and evening, but I would have still managed to post something, except for the fact that I didn’t have enough memory on my computer to transfer the photos I took last night, and spent quite a long time trying to sort that out. In the end, I gave up – it was, by that time – after midnight and I’d missed the day. Yes, I could have cheated and post-dated the post but I thought not.

We were busy last night, listening to thousands of primary age children singing at The O2 in London. Jenny and Rosie have both sung with the Young Voices choir before. This year was a better experience for Jenny as she was less nervous and they weren’t up in the gods, making the whole much more enjoyable.

Can you imagine the volume created by all those children?

Fabulous singing from the massed Choir, great guests (The African Children’s Choir, Connie Talbot, and Randolph Matthews) and a trouble-free journey there and back made for a marvellous, albeit tiring, evening.

The Fight

It has been an incredibly lazy day today, with timings all out (get up at 10.45, breakfast at 11.30, lunch at 3) and I now feel dozy and uninspired. I guess I needed a sleepy day, and the light covering of snow meant that I didn’t feel a need to go out anywhere.

Jenny begged for a snowball fight companion, but I argued that I had had a go yesterday after school, so Mr Angelfeet volunteered, leaving me as official photographer (oh, such a burden!), comfortable in the warmth of the kitchen, shooting through the window. I got to use my 70mm-300mm lens and the fangley-doo-da setting on my camera that shoots continuous mode.

Snow girl

I was surprised to find the world was not all white this morning, as many of the forecasts had promised overnight snow. However, we didn’t have to wait long into the morning, and then it snowed steadily for most of the day. Unusually, I wasn’t my usual grumpy-pants about it, as I don’t like dodgy road conditions (who does?), but the roads in our part of London were moving well and in the end the journey home was unproblematic.

Jenny and I had some fun in the garden when we got home. It wasn’t really the right sort of snow for a snowman, so we pelted each with snowballs instead.

When will I ever learn . . .

Today I have been mostly doing this:

It’s about time

Our friends, L and M have, for a long time, been suggesting we join them in visiting the south coastal town of Eastbourne. They insisted that the sea was a colour not matched anywhere else; that the beach had the most interesting pebbles and stones; that the Towner gallery was a treat; and the experience of eating at the Holiday Inn Fish Bar – well, there were no words for that, you just had to do it.

We hadn’t been putting it off, but there never seemed the right time, what with all the usual family commitments and the inability of all members of my lovely family to actually all be out of bed and ready to leave at an early enough time to make it worthwhile.

But somehow, today, we did it.

The sea was a magnificent colour.

The pebbles were intriguing.

The Towner gallery was inspiring.

The Holiday Inn Fish Bar was certainly an experience (tinned peaches and cream anyone?) and it offered a suitably satisfying, reasonably priced lunch. The photo of Jenny’s banana split is kindly supplied by Hubby.

All in all, a lovely day.

On a Clear Day

Well you wouldn’t know now, as the mist is now creeping down over the headland and floating across the bay, but earlier it was a very conventionally summery day. Sun shining, ice-cream on the beach, much paddling by the kids, much sitting down and taking lazy photos by me. It appears they have a micro-climate here and it’s extra-ordinary how quickly things change. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Really must bring a towel next time

We were at the beach today again, but this time it was was Whitby, home of Dracula, Whitby Abbey and jet stone. We had already stuffed ourselves with lunch at Botham’s tea rooms and although the adults in the party felt the need to wrap up against the Yorkshire summer, the girls were happy with freezing their toes in the North Sea.

A Special Bond

Sometimes it’s just the two of them.

The Shape of Things to Come