I just wanted to share some photos with you.  Hubby took Daniel into town on Saturday afternoon, as he’d been given a tip off that there would be Storm Troopers in the toy department of John Lewis.  Daniel was very excited, and after a little waiting around and a bit of hunting, they arrived, and surprise, surprise, Darth Vader was with them too.

Dan & Two Friendly Storm Troopers

Darth Vader's guard apparently

The Man Himself

Dan was so happy when he got home, he’s still talking about it today.

Then outside they met The Stig, although Dan didn’t know who he was.

The Stig

Yes it’s my birthday today, another year older.  It doesn’t seem that long ago I was writing this post.  So I only have one more year of being a 20-something, I wonder if anything interesting will happen?

Not doing an awful lot today.  Hubby is yet to buy me a card, he’s apparently getting it on his way home from work.  He did buy me the Take That: Circus DVD a couple of weeks ago, which was my birthday present.  My parents have just been around and brought a birthday cake, mostly so the boys can blow out the candles later.

Our friends Anthony and Leah are coming over tomorrow night though for a takeaway and a Wii tournament.  It was Anthony’s birthday yesterday so it’s a joint celebration.  Should be fun, just hope nothing gets broken whilst we’re playing tennis, hubby and Anthony tend to get a bit competitive and over-enthusiastic!

I forgot to write a post about my day out at the National Poultry Show last Saturday.  I had a fab time, and thank you to Debs for taking me.  I did take my camera but completely failed to take any photos, apart from one which hubby seems to have deleted off the camera.  Needless to say we saw lots and lots of chickens of all shapes, colours and sizes, also there was some gorgeous looking ducks, and geese and turkeys.  We met up with about 20 other Omleteers, and had a good natter over a coffee.  You can see some photos on Lewis’ Blog here, where he’s also posted the photos Debs took of us all.  A good day out

Is anyone interested in rehoming a black Pekin Bantam Cockerel?  It belongs to a friend of a friend, they hatched some chicks, and unfortunately as they already have a cockerel they can’t keep this one.  He’s 20-something weeks old, can’t remember what exactly now.  I’ve been told he is free to a good home.  So if you think you could help, please leave a comment, and I can email you and put you in touch.

I’m so fed up with this weather, I don’t feel like we’ve had a sunny day for weeks.  Luckily my dad has been able to give us a lift to the school in the mornings, otherwise I think I would’ve been even more fed up, and Danny would’ve been sitting in school in soggy trousers every day.

Yesterday was the worst with the strong winds.  Hubby informed me in the morning that the shower curtain had come away from the eglu run, but that ‘it wasn’t too bad’.  When I had a look most of the run was exposed, and it was looking very wet in there, so before I’d even had my breakfast I was out fixing it with my trusty cable ties.  Luckily it wasn’t too difficult, battling against the wind was the hardest part.

I was then out all day at my mum and dad’s house, I got back about 4:30pm to discover the other side of the shower curtain had been blown loose.  So out again, in the near darkness, with a pair of scissors and more cable ties.  While I was out there I thought I’d check for eggs, opened the egg port, and discovered all three chickens huddled in the nestbox.  It’s not easy trying to get your hand under three chickens who are determined not to move, hoping you’re not going to pick up poo instead of an egg.

I really need to clean the Eglu and I want to put fresh wood chippings down, but it’s impossible in this weather.  My garden is really squidgy and muddy, and the existing chippings are looking more mud like than wood like.  Hopefully we’ll have lovely dry weather all next week and I can do it all the following weekend.

I’m quite excited about this weekend.  I’m going to the National Championship Poultry Show with my friend Debs who I met through the Omlet Forum.  There seems to be quite a few Omleteers going, and we’re all planning to meet up.  It’ll be quite strange meeting people that I chat to on the Forum.  I will be taking my camera (if I remember), so expect lots of photos of chickens next week.

 

Last night we went to see Gary Numan at the very grandly named Millennium Music Hall, which sounds like it should be big, but is in fact a little bar type venue with an 800 capacity.

This was Numan’s 30th Anniversary Tour  of The Pleasure Principle album.  I’ve got to say I wasn’t overly excited about going to see him but hubby was.  He’s got into him through Nine Inch Nails, Numan has appeared on stage with them a few times and Trent Reznor’s a huge fan.  I was more excited when I heard that a guitarist called Chris McCormack was in his live band, he used to be in 3 Colours Red, a band I was a fan of and saw lots of times when I was in school.

Once we got there we didn’t have to wait long for Gary Numan to come on stage, which was just aswell as it was pretty full and very hot.  I couldn’t actually see much of the stage, but there was lots of lighting, smoke machine and 3 big screens across the back of the stage.  For a small venue they’d put a lot of effort in.

The first half of the show was the whole of the Pleasure Principle album played in full and in order.  Here’s a quote from his website www.numan.co.uk

“After a great deal of uncertainty about how to play the Pleasure Principle songs on this tour I have decided to play them as they were originally recorded. The arrangements are the same, the sounds as close as we can get, no guitar, no loops, no industrial versions. Everything has been stripped back to the way it was in 1979. I finally decided that as it’s the 30th Anniversary of the album I should celebrate the album as it was, not a heavy revamped version of it. I hope that meets with the approval of most of you.”

Then he moved on to playing a mixture of his more recent tracks, oldies and B sides.

Here’s a video of him earlier in the year in Sydney performing Are Friends Electric?  You might recognise the music as the Sugababes borrowed it for one of their biggest hits.  There’s also lots of shots of Chris McCormack.

In the end I did enjoy it, even though I didn’t know very much.  It’s a lovely little venue aswell, I nearly always prefer smaller gigs, so we’ll be looking out for anyone else playing there that we’d like to see.

I’ll leave you with him performing Cars with Nine Inch Nails at the O2 Arena in July.

Here’s a little game to drive you mad for a bit, to see how fast your reactions are  *Clicky Here*

I can’t get better than a Bobbing Bobcat, but I can’t play for too long as my heart starts thumping with the anticipation.  Let me know how well you do.  Enjoy!

Saturday was the day of the Church Christmas Fair, where for the first time, ever, I sold things I’d painted myself.

I went to the Hall Friday morning to set up my stall, luckily I’d been given a little table which was the perfect size for all my painted glass.  Then came the difficult task of pricing everything, I did not have a clue.  I didn’t want to just give the things away, but then I didn’t want to price too highly and be left with it all.  In the end I decided on £1 each for the tealight holders, £5 each for the three biggest vases, and the other things ranged between £2.50 and £4.  Oliver was helping my mum sort things out on the book stall, and we came home with a lovely (honestly) Christmas Wiggles DVD.  Oh how pleased I was about that.

Early(ish) start Saturday morning and before I even set off, my dad phoned to say I’d already sold a few items.  I quickly made a pile of ’sold’ labels as the lady who wanted the things was on another stall and needed me to hold onto them for her.  Was just as well, as if I’d put them away I would’ve had a half empty table.  When the doors opened at 10:30am it was pretty busy, and I had quite a lot of interest.  The tea light holders went very well, although I had just as much interest in the battery powered tealights in them (which weren’t for sale).  It went a bit quiet after lunch, which was a bit disappointing, but I was amazed anyone came out at all as it was horrible weather.

My Gran added a bit of drama, and worry, to the day by keeling over whilst sat down eating her lunch.  Luckily a lot of quick thinking people were on hand and had her sat back up, and an ambulance called for, before I even realised anything had happened.  The ambulance arrived very quickly, and completely blocked the road outside the Hall, but they managed to get back out somehow, I suspect a lot of people had to put their reversing skills into practice.  She’s still in hospital, but it doesn’t seem to be anything too serious – she’d been feeling unwell all week – we’re hoping she’ll be home tomorrow.

By the time the Fair closed at 3pm I’d sold everything apart from 3 tealight holders and a frame.  I took £56.50.  So a very successful day, and we had a curry last night to celebrate.  It’s a bit of an odd thought to think of people I don’t know, and do know, having things that I’ve painted in their houses.  I hope they enjoy them.

Typically I forgot the camera so I haven’t got any photos of my stall before everything was sold.  Hubby brought it with him later on though, so here’s a pic of the boys with Father Christmas.  I don’t know who it was, it was meant to be my dad but he obviously had to rush off in the ambulance with my Gran.

Unfortunatly Santa gave the boys lollies before I took the photo, so Oliver was distracted.  I was lucky to get Dan to have his photo taken at all, so I suppose a smile was just too much to ask.  Daniel asked Santa for a Batman outfit.  He’s already got a BatBoy outfit I bought him a couple of months ago, but it’s obviously not good enough anymore.

Well I’ve had another blast at the glass painting.  I actually did them a couple of weeks ago whilst hubby was out getting soaked watching Cardiff City, but I’ve only just got around to taking photos.  These will probably be the last that will be ready in time for the Christmas Fair which is a week Saturday.  I’m really happy with how these have turned out.

Outlines done waiting to be painted

Drying

Large Vase

Flowery Vase

Another Vase - Butterfly and Leaves

Storage Jar - Fish & Shells

Another Storage Jar

This is one of my favourites, it really glows when the light is on it.

Tea Light Holders

Clip Frames

The candles  in the above photo are battery powered tea lights, they look really effective and they flicker, sort of like real candles.  As I have so many tea light holders I wanted candles in them on the stall to show them off a bit, but I thought having real ones would be too dangerous.  I found these on Ebay really cheaply, and obviously I get to keep them after the fair so I can use them at home.

If I get round to it I might paint the last few holders that I have in the next week, but it’s not going to be the end of the world if I don’t get round to it.

It’s Daniel’s 5th Birthday today, I can’t believe how quickly it seems to have gone.  He’s been getting very excited over the last few days, as he pretty much knew he was getting a lightsaber, something he’s been asking for for about 2 years.  We’re not having a party for him, but he’s having one of his friends come home with us after school today.  Then mum and dad are coming round for a Chinese takeaway.

I can still remember his birth very well (do you ever forget?).  I was in hospital, in labour, for two days.  Needless to say I was completely exhausted by the time he was delivered and needed some help.  He was born at 8:36pm weighing 6lb 4oz, with a great big lump on his head thanks to the ventouse.

I stayed in hospital for another couple of nights trying to get the hang of breastfeeding, eventually they decided he was feeding and let me out.  We brought him home on bonfire night, with fireworks going off all around.

Unfortunately we were back in the hospital a week later, as he had severe jaundice, and needed to be put under the special lights.  He looked so tiny in the incubator, I barely stopped crying.  He was in for 2 nights, and I stayed with him most of the time, even though there was no bed, and I was still perserveering with the breastfeeding.  I was so relieved when they said he was well enough to go home again, although we had to go back another few times to have his bilirubin levels checked.  We also changed to bottle feeding a few days later, I was completely exhausted and hating every feed.  I was never convinced he was getting milk.  I since found out that the bruising left from ventouse can make jaundice worse, and the best thing you can do is to get fluids into him.  So if I’d bottle fed from the start, his jaundice may never have got to such a severe point, but of course no one told me that at the time, as midwives and health visitors have to promote breastfeeding.  There’s an article here about jaundice in newborns for anyone who’s interested.

Anyway Daniel is now a lovely, healthy, little boy of five.  Happy Birthday!

 

 

Yesterday morning I’d arranged to go for a walk around the Lake with my in-laws, who are visiting for the week.  We’d just got there when I remembered about a nearby footpath which leads to the sea wall.   I’ve been meaning to investigate this path since Jennie blogged about it earlier in the year.

So we cut through the car park for the lake, negotiated a couple of busy roads, and got to the entrance to the path.  The Council have recently done up this entrance, and re-surfaced around it, they obviously didn’t think that people with pushchairs would want to use it though, as they’d put in one of those anti-motor bike narrow entrance things.  It was too narrow to get the pushchair through, so I had to get Oliver out of the pushchair and lift the pushchair through a gap at the side.

The path runs alongside a murky looking bit of water, on the otherside of this is the landfill site.  Once we got past this though it was lovely and quiet, with lots of butterflies and I spotted a rabbit.

It didn’t take as long as I thought it would and fairly soon we reached the sea wall.  Typically the tide was out and all we could see was an expanse of mud.

Looking one way

Looking the other

Looking towards town

You can just make out the white uprights of the Millennium Stadium at the centre of this photo.

Looking Back Towards Rumney

If you enlarge this photo, and look carefully, you can just make at the tower of St Augustine’s, slightly left of the middle of the pic.

Oliver

Holly

Lone Swan

We managed to walk from my house, to the lake, to the sea wall, and back to my house in just under an hour and a half.  Probably could’ve done it a bit quicker if Olly had been in the pushchair the whole way instead of letting him have a little walk.

It was a good new found out, will try and do it again sometime.