MIA?

So I have been avoiding my blog for way too long for many reasons. I lost my oomph to write. I'm constantly exhausted as I run from place to place every day and flop exhausted into bed. I realised that I do very little for me. Plus the majority of the people that I am running around after do not appreciate me or my time.

So here is my new motto "toughen up Daffodilly, learn to say no more often and make time for you."

In fact I have done something very daring for me. A very special friend of mine is having a large numbered birthday in December and she invited me and a bunch of friends to go to St. Thomas for a week. I wanted to go so badly but could not due to basketball schedules, work commitments all of my animals etc etc. Sir Lancelot told me to just book it & go so I did! I feel like a wild woman!

I have not had a girls holiday since I was a teenager as I always went away with boyfriends, husbands or family after that.

So here I go folks one week in sunny St. Thomas is a coming up.

Details to follow.............

Sadness all around

Not only have we just passed the 10th anniversary of 9/11 which was sad for everyone it seems as if my life is on a sad roller coaster at the moment.

One of my old bosses has just died and I am going to his Celebration of Life tomorrow. I'm nervous. I have only ever been to 2 funerals in my life, the last one was my mums. The Americans tend to do the wake thing when you can visit the body which is just too much for me. I have never seen a dead body and have no desire to.

All the memories of what a family go through are flooding my brain and filling me with sadness.

My 8 year old came home from school to tell me that a little girl in his class is in a wheelchair as she has cancer on the brain.

My dental hygienist has just passed this week from cancer too leaving a 4 year old son to be raised by his dad.

There really needs to be a cure found to save more lives.

The Breast Cancer Walk is coming up at the beginning of October. My children and I will be walking it so please sponsor a walker if you can afford it.

All of us together can help find a cure and save some of these wasted precious lives.

Its nearly over....

Indications that summer is over.....

• my daughters summer job has ended..just as well she boosted Abercrombie shares this week!
• traffic......what traffic? hurray!
• fingers itch to start knitting!
• wash & put some of the beach towels away
• guests all departed
• signs of the first red leaves
• wearing a fleece to walk Molly this morning
• evenings spent on the soccer field
• trying to speed up my life again so that we do have a decent meal at a decent time...a struggle.
• darker evenings
• hanging baskets on their last legs

a quieter house when they are all at school......love it!

Waiting..............

Apparently we are in the path of Hurricane Irene.

Hmmm remind me why we moved to USA again?

This is the weirdest feeling as yesterday was hot and humid with a stillness in the air that was exceedingly creepy. The night revealed the deepest sky blue pink.

The calm before the storm maybe?

The TV and radio were all constantly warning about taking precautions, bring in your garden furniture, have bottled water, food for 3-5 days etc. etc.

Masses of holiday makers fled our lake desperate to get home. The local craft fair was pretty much abandoned as people dragged their boats out of the water. Water bottles were purchased as if they were gold.

Now we all play the waiting game.

Yes, we have the rain and winds nothing severe yet. We know where the local shelter is. 

It is the weirdest feeling!

Ticking along.

I've aaccomplished:

• read at least 5 books
• spent 3 glorious days perched on the beach looking at the glistening sea
• enjoyed watching my children dig the biggest holes..oops sorry hot tubs they could dig for hours on the beach   
• Vladivar has moved to a new farm
• went blueberry picking
• made blueberry jam that set!!!
• cleared out kids stuff and passed it on
• enjoyed a day at a water park when it was too hot to do anything else
• seen lots of my good friends
• had lots of family visit
• I have a nice healthy tan and glow
• watched my daughter with a new boyfriend going through the various emotions..tricky!
• lazy days at the lake
• blustery boat rides
• a sprinkling of parties
• wiggled my hips at Zumba

To accomplish:

• new exercise routine that fits with the school schedule
• hmm hello rescue my garden from its weeds as trees are now getting established roots.
• have a clean car...hard one!
• clear out all clutter
• get a new hobby

in the meantime enjoy life and what is left of the summer.

Who is the guilty party?

So my cute little chicks that we raised from hand are now looking like real chickens. In another 2 months we should see our first eggs.

We cannot wait. The kids have already drawn straws to see who gets the first one for breakfast! My youngest is already planning  his strategy for how much we can sell them for and what to spend the dosh on !

This morning I woke up to a funny noise coming from the coop. I went down to let the girls out and heard the dreaded......."cock a doodle AHHHHH!"

I waited incase I had misheard and there it was again.

Oh no now we have to try & figure out which one is the cockeral! We vowed that if we had a cockeral it would have to go due to neighbours and the noise!

I have to say that Vladivar does look the most manly but we hand raised him watching all of the Celtics games as we thought he was not going to make it! How can he go from the limping "I'm on my last legs" to road runner big cockeral? Too much love maybe?

Watch this space for the conclusion!

It Feels Good...

One of our traditions at the beginning of the school holidays is to turf out the kids rooms........not one of our favourites mind you!

I started with the youngest...oh Mr. Hand me down guy. It took a whole day. It did help that he is able to let stuff go which is huge. Nothing is harder than trying to cajole a child into giving toys away that they MUST keep yet they never touch.

Two large trash bags, 2 boxes plus a huge tree house toy later we were done. Normally I give toys away to kids who I know need them or give them, to our dump shop where locals can take then free of charge. Any large tag items e.g. Thomas the train set I try and sell on Craigslist etc. and them give the kids the money.

This year I had my Mother in law & friend arriving on the same day so the pressure was on. I decided to just take it all to the dump.

I did feel a little guilty.

However, on arrival at the dump there was a 3 year old little girl with her parents looking through the toys and clothes, she was about to leave until I told her we had some toys. When I brought the tree house in her little face lit up.

I knew I had done the right thing.

I told my son and we talked about the how nice is it to pass on your stuff to people who need or like it.
He said " I have warmness in my belly"..........I call that one lesson learnt!

Summer time...ready to unwind!

We have been so busy I have not had time or the inclination to:

blog
knit
read
relax
cook healthy meals
go out with friends
or even enjoy a glass of wine!

It has ben one hell of a 6 week whirlwind.

This is the usual as school starts to wind down by having concerts, plays, sport tournaments, renaissance fairs, sports awards and graduations...............you fly by the seat of your pants.

The dog does not get walked, you struggle to get to work on time as you have to whip up a batch of cupcakes in the morning for a party the darling forgot to mention to you!!!!!

Now it is over I need to learn to slow down. Its not so easy.

My body wakes up at 5.30 am ......jumping straight into action mode.
My sleep deprived nights are hopefully turning into restful dreamy fluffy cloud bouncing relaxation sessions.

New intentions:

Zumba I will attend very soon.
Molly we will go hiking.
More veggies for everyone!
I need to find a nice refreshing alcohlic drink as I am going off my wine!!! Sacre Bleu!
A new knititing project will be found.
Bills will be paid on time.
Books will be read.
Yoga will be practised.
Fun days out with the children.
The ocean I will see you oh so soon.

I'm already exhausted...I so need to earn how to swirch off! Any ideas?

Oh how they grow!

My chickens are a great source of amusement I have to say. I love to sit on the deck at night with a  glass of wine and watch them. My children are having fun too. My youngest is training them!!!!! So far they have learnt to perch, sit and now they are looking at getting a driving license! An HGV one at that!

Bottoms up!

My daughter is the mother hen!

The chicks are proving to be great entertainment for Molly & MIttens.......

There is a moose on the loose in my garden!

My brood............

Well the saga of the chicks continues. Margarita is doing very well eating and pooping on a what seems to be a 10 mins basis. Vladivar (the black one) is doing a little better, he enjoys being held by my teenager and watching Glee on the computer or the Celtics on TV! He is still very small an a little feeble & is going to be the runt of the brood...poor baby!

Number 3 egg did not hatch so the other teacher & myself did a c-section in the yard after school......alas it was not fertile even though we had candled it! So then I panicked as any mother hen would as how could we have a coop with 1 fit and 1 might not make it chick? So i went to the local farm and picked out 3 good layers who were 3 weeks old. Here they are Alfie, Sophia & Lizzy!

So my house is a nature reserve at the moment two baby chicks in a heated cage in my sons bedroom, the three above are in the screened porch. Meanwhile my cat & dog are going crazy with all the peeping going on.

Vladivar the unsteady!

Meanwhile my husband is saying WTF did you do? This house is wild!

Alfie & Sophia 3 weeks old.

Margarita!

I smile sweetly & say I'm going to a Sheep & Wool show next week.........

I'm a mummy again!

So I guess I have been broody yet again! I have moved away from the babies....love them as I do however they cost too much & I'm experiencing the teenage years at present....which can be challenging!

We have incubated 3 eggs and today two of them hatched. It was such an amazing experience talking to the eggs and watching them respond by pecking their way out of the egg......chicken whisperer here I come. I have to say that they are very ugly at birth but as soon as they fluff up....ohhh adorable as the Americans would say! The English would say cute!

The first one is called margarita...not the pizza! Number 2 is Cosmopolitan and number 3 has not cracked yet.....to be continued.

Pictures are to follow....I have a new phone & not quite sure how to get the photo's off it yet! I spent the day receiving calls with no sound... had to wait for the princess to sort it out out after school! 

The Royal Wedding.

Now I have never been a royal follower however I guess I am in a nostalgic mood.

Since the TV are force feeding the Royal Family on an hourly basis I guess it has caught my eye.

Memories from my childhood & Diana's wedding with the scrapbooks, street parties etc are all flooding back into my mind. For some reason I feel an urge to ensure that my children see the wedding as it is part of their heritage!

I was going to throw a party but after having English friends over for 5 days...too much drink & chatting late into the night I do not have the energy.

So tomorrow William & Kate I will get up at 5am and toast you with my mimosa's, scones & bagels. Along with my sleepy & most probably grumpy children all for a little heritage!  My neighbour will probably join me and we will be in our PJ"S!

A need for completion

I'm running around like a headless chicken and I need to learn to say NO!

Due to my "soft get" attitude during the school vacation which I have to work half of I seem to have said yes to :

• going & turning the eggs that we are hatching at school every other day
• adopting all the seeds that we are growing at school & making sure they are fed & in the sun etc
• watching a distant neighbours animals.....without finding out what they were beforehand...a dog/2 cats & a big turtle
• another friend asked if we could watch their 9 week old puppy for a week...my husband gave me the evil eye!!! I did say no though.

I have a list of stuff I need to complete as I find that everything is not finished & it is giving me this backed up & overwhelming feeling...all my own fault! Very disconcerting!

So this week I am going to accomplish:

• finish my sweater that I am knitting
• read a book
• get haircuts for all the kids & myself
• hopefully a day at the seaside
• clear out the wardrobes & get the summer clothes out
• wash all the ski gear....that was in progress however on Saturday we had 4 inches of slushy snow!
• pay all the bills on time
• stop & enjoy some peace

Wish me luck!

Where have I been?

Wow I did not realise how long it has been since I have blogged!

I guess Spring is here which involves lots of preparation from ski-ing to hand washing!

Another chuckle for you......

I have a northern acent & know just how these people feel when trying to chase mail via UPS?Fedex etc.

A chuckle for you....

What every woman wants in bed..................



Breakfast!

Love it!

Down to earth with a splat!

Back to life, back to reality.

No more dreaming of the vacation anymore it is now filed in the fond memories file...ahhhhh.

Well 6 inches of snow later. one child sick for a week and now the others all snotty sure brings you back to earth.

I'm trying to look positive on life these days.

I was just stood on my deck with a glass of "Mommy's Time Out" Pinot Grigio, a chunk of Jarlsberg in my hand and Molly at my feet in 3 inches of snow. Hmmmmm. The sun was out and it was really a beautiful early evening feeling...the wine had kicked in!

Dinner was cooking, children were not fighting, the dog was not barking...life is good right?

Contrast in lifestyle.

Last week.....

• my biggest stress was what to wear for dinner

This week.....

• what shall I cook

Last week.....

• my oh my it is hot...I need a nap

This week......

• is the snow really sticking.......who wants to shovel?

Last week.....

• so much laundry and no washing machine...oh well

This week......

• can you please wear your trousers for more than one day!

Last week....

•  Bikini's & wraps

This week.......

• snow pants, hats, coats, gloves and boots.

Last week......

• margarita's by the pool

This week......

• hot tea and chocolate snuggled with my back next to the radiator.

I'm still in holiday mode!

To cruise or not to cruise.....

Definitely do it!

Now my history is that if a back packer travelling around the world. Which then lead to living in a camper for a year  touring & working around Europe. Once we had the 3 kids we always vacationed by going self catering which was often a challenge in places like Jamaica & the Dominican Republic.

One of my dearest friends had tried to talk me into going on a cruise with the girls ( I felt too guilty so did not go) or to go with the family.... still did not go.

Eventually...like 5 years later we went on one. Folks this is the way to travel if you feel the need for a break or a total indulgence book one today.

This cruise which was on the Norwegian Dawn was phenomenal.

The staff were wonderful, the food superb including lots of foreign exotic food, the ship was spotless, tons of activities for children and adults, great shows at night and fantastic ports of call. I am surprised that they try & sell so much art work and jewellery on board... I guess it is a big seller just not my cup of tea!

I cannot believe that I have come back to earth with a great big bump! Miami airport would do that to anybody! Rude staff, no aircon...hello its humid here, dirty, dirty place!

So now I am back to walking the dog early in the morning in full snow gear battling the rain &/or snow! Back to work, making lunches and cooking & god forbid we came home with 10 days worth of laundry for a family of five..............................never ending!  

Oh well it was fantastic just need to save up for another one! All donations are gladly accepted!

Only in America......

I found this outside a restaurant........................

I have found paradise.....

We have just been on a 10 day cruise...heaven it certainly was.

We left early from this........

To go to this.....

I want to move to Antigua!

Fridgid it is!

This is the worst part of the year for living in New Hampshire. The low temperatures & bitter windchill cause bowed shoulders and you have to wrap yourself in blankets for comfort...brrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Molly's walks are rare as it is too bitter.

The poor birds swarm at our bird feeder...I'm all ready to knit them scarfs & hats poor little things! 

The snow laden paths are solid ice and risky.

The car creaks as I drive, its suspension is frozen.

There are not enough layers to be worn to make you feel cosy.

The hot stews and winter food are becoming mundane...I need to find some new recipes.

Countless tea bags are being used....so many that my English electric kettle has just died......emergency!

The house creaks with the gale force winds...I wonder if we have lost any shingles...or worse still a solar panel?

The kids need to burn off some energy & get fresh air..it would be too cruel to throw them outside to play.

This is what wimter in NH is all about.....surviving!

Cheers trees?

This is a delayed post as it has been the most weirdest of weather over here. Saturday we had a huge snowstorm, then sleet, then a thunderstorm! Fancy that?

I awoke to more snow...of course and all the trees were coated in ice. It was very erie as the branches blew they chinked as if the trees are all having a hot toddy & clinking their glasses! Cheers!

I took Molly for a walk and as the wind blew the trees they shed their ice...all over me! It was as if they were throwing their vodka glasses at me!

I tried to get a good photo to show how this looks as it is magical.....I need a photo lesson.

The trees glisten as if they are made of crystal and when you look at them they really do dazzle your eyes.

Perhaps if you look at this photo & squint you may get the picture??? If not have a glass of wine or two & try again!

When I'm rich........

I'm going to buy this old farm estate. Behind the main house are some houses for the workers and barns, chicken coops, stables...the whole works. Of course there is plenty of acreage along with it and a pond.

The good news is that it is for sale.

The bad news is that it probably needs torching as it would be cheaper to rebuild.

However if anyone out there in blog land knows anyone who is rich and fancies a project.....this could be for them.

It would make a great place for a haunted house movie too.

Ahh dreams..................

New England Houses

It was such a gorgeous day on Thursday I took myself off for a little toodle pip (drive)!

Even though it was cold and there was fresh snow on the ground I could not help taking a few shots of the quaint houses and buildings around here.

So here they are:

8.20pm & it is - 18 degrees C

Can it really get any colder?

Oh yes tonight we are supposed to drop to -35C...holy moly!

Oh my!

Poor Molly is desperate to go for a walk, I let her out & she shoots straight back into the house.

It is so cold that when I filled up with petrol this afternoon I only filled up the tank half way as it was just too cold even with full winter gear on to be outside.

Some schools had a 2 hour delay as the temperatures were too dangerous for the children to wait outside for more than a few minutes due to the risk of frostbite.

It is times like this that I wonder why the hell I live here?

Then I remember.......

how fun it is to go snow shoeing straight into my back garden and into the woods.
to gather up the clan and go ski-ing for the afternoon.
making a snowman with my enthusiastic little one.
snuggle inside and bake filling the house with yummy smells.
curling up with a good book
picking up my knitting needles and clickity clacking away.
drinking oodles of hot chocolate.

and my favourite watching "Gone with the Wind" with a pot of tea, English chocolate and my daughter...our yearly snow event.

How do you keep busy during our special weather season I wonder?

My what a big nose you have!

I am trying "oh so very hard" to keep my younger one young since he is around the tweens & teenager so much. They of course are not as excited when we have a huge snow storm.

I dragged him out to make a snowman since this weeks dumpload of snow is slightly wet & sticks. Its amazing that an englishwoman can be so picky these days over snow. You soon learn which type of snow will be best for ski-ing, snow shoes, making snowmen and snowballs. I feel like I have a degree in it!

So here is our fellow......who looks a little fallic but hey ho!

Dump, dump dumpity dump!

Well we definitely got blasted...probably about 15 inches.

It is oh so pretty, oh so deep and oh so much of it to shovel!

Here are a few photos of during the storm.

Mittens seemed to not be bothered at all!

Waiting for the big one!

Living in New England can have its challenges yet it also has exciting weather extremes.

Tonight we all wait to see if the media are making lots of fuss over nothing....again! Or will we really have a good 6-12 inches of snow as predicted.

I love this when I have a house full of food, lots of wool waiting to be knitted into one of my concoctions, a pile of books, magazines & lots of shovels waiting to be used.

The kids are already excited at the thought of having a snow day. I have to admit I am too.

So let us see if we wake up to a fresh dumpload or by the alarm clock forcing us to get out of bed to go to school!

Reindeer rule!

Molly came home with frozen paws...silly dog.

Meanwhile Mittens lost the staring contest to the reindeer.....

Molly where did you go?

Its 14 degrees, 8.30pm please come in!

Goodbye 2010

The last sunset of 2010:

I caught the sun!