Randomness from Longleat

Waiting in the queue to enter the safari park

Daddy held a tarantula

Hippo's bite yanno... and this one looked HUNGRY!!

There's an odd looking giraffe in there LOL

Sian, Beth and Daddy hold a snake. I think the snake weighed as much as Beth LOL. (well, not really!)

Longleat.

Hanging off the car in front.

Monkeys like the higher vehicles!

Mama with her babies. I didn't manage to get the one of a mama monkey nursing though :o(

Cheeky Monkey! We waited ages for one to jump on the car. It jumped on and ran over the top then jumped off!

Just being a nosey monkey.

I think the monkeys were the favourite for us at the safari park. We almost burnt our clutch out though waiting for one to jump on the car. They're quick little so n so's! We had two jump on and run over then off. I think WW3 may have broken out had they not as the girls were desperate for them to come to us LOL.

Spray Park, Staines

It's safer to explore with Mama


Ready, Set, GO!!!!

Oooh I can shoot you!

It's not that bad Bethy!

Come on in, the water's lovely!

It's taken her months!

But finally Beth can sign "Aeroplane" without any assistance from Mama to get the right fingers. We decided to do some random sign practice while walking home from town today and that was one that we did- I guess living so close to the airport helps LOL. I'd just randomly ask one of them a sign and both would usually do it. I wonder if Sian would be up to taking her BSL exam next year... the way she's going I'd say ability wise she'll be FINE!

We took a bus to town today. No pushchair (eek!). Went to the bank to lend my sister yet more money. Not sure how this happens. LOL. Then after that the girls went on the roundabout as they had been ever so good. We bought cakes and sausage rolls and drinks for "elevenses" and then walked up to find a dentist for a freind. The earliest we could get her in was next Weds. and at that she has a 2wk shorter wait than most new patients! Sian and Beth are going too. Sian was all upset because the dentist couldn't see her today.

After that we walked back up to town for lunch and then meandered home. Finding random letters carved into walls on the way! Sian trys to tell me she doesn't know them LOL. But she does. I managed NOT to get frustrated with her. A BIIIIIG step for me, and an important one in the grand scheme of things.

As we got to our gate Grannyjan and Grandad pulled up to take us bowling for the first time in ages. I got some pics- but not downloaded them yet! and the girls managed EIGHT frames between them before deciding they wanted ice cream instead. *note to self, it will take at least 30mins in future to help grandad with his splint/shoes*

and just a normal veg in front of the telly with tea and then bed tonight. and that's our day LOL.

Go On, Have a Guess!!

Our Week.

Monday... waited in all day at my mums for Trish to come (she couldn't in the end, for a retired lady she's pretty busy as i told her on Tuesday!) and for my older 2 neices and nephew to arrive from Wales for the week. Then got taken out for tea at Nando's Have to say, the mushroom and halloumi "burger" with chilli jam is lush. and both my girls now like halloumi cheese. next time i'm just going to get them the cheese and chips lol. beth lost her veggie burger to the floor, sian just ate the cheese off hers (and it was horrible anyway!)

Tuesday, saw Trish (finally LOL.) and had my anti-d (owweee, now have a bruised bum!), bloods taken for a random glucose screen and all the other good stuf htey like to check. "lando's" heartbeat is "still in the boys range" lol. i do love the old wives tales! the colostrum is coming in now, but beth won't be tandem nursing with this one i don't think, she's forgotten how to nurse. bitter sweet as sian nursed till she was 4.

after that we saw Wall-E at the cinema with my parents and neices/nephew. cute film. i thought beth would fall asleep, but she sat on my knee for the whole thing entranced! just asked to go to the loo about 30mins from the end. there's not a whole load of dialogue, but it's funny to the grown ups in a TOTALLY different way from the kids!! i won't spoil it. go see it!

Weds. we went out to breakfast, then to see Kung Fu Panda. Two cinema trips in as many days! And Sian wants to see The fox and the Child too. I'm not sure she'll enjoy that as much though. KFP is a bit scary for little ones in places, but both girls enjoyed it for all that. beth did get a bit wriggly towards the end. we've seen trailers for about 4 films we'd like to go and see this year.

Sian had a sleep over at her freinds house last night. My big girl! My friend texted me after they were asleep to say that both kids had been very good and tested all the boundaries LOL. but i can't wait to see her later on. we're going to the library as a big group.

and tomorrow we're off to Longleat via swindon to meet a freind of mine. must download the splash park pics first (but they're another post!) so taht's our week this week. a busy one!

Funny from Beth

B- "this is your sign Mummy" (signs the letter "M"- almost correctly!)
G- "what's the sign for Daddy?"
B- (signs letter "F") "pain in vee neck"

i'm rolling! bless her cottons.

Housing inspection

Wow look at the rain. you can see the tiles in the gutter here

and a clearer view of where there is a hole in the roof here
She came, she saw and she made notes. Actually, she was a darn sight nicer about our house than our housing officer. she's going to get the landlord to do the gardens. we've been told not to use the hedge trimmer he left us in case of accidents. we should have told her that he got clive doing the work last time actually. darnit. so i'm going to have to brave the spiders and get the clippers out! too wet for electric gadgets again now anyway. i'd just like to get into the house! the boiler still needs fixing. the last temporary fix was in feb. and it's holding well! we'll see if it fails again when i have a new born (that's when it FIRST failed!) there is a hole in the roof we THINK. but she said she will at least get the landlord to fix the loose and fallen tiles. the only way to find out if it IS a hole is go into the attic. we're not allowed (not that we'd want to, to get up there you ahve to precariously balance a ladder on the turn in the stairs) she's going to get the drawers fixed (they keep coming off their runners) but it looks like we're stuck with running the extension lead through the kitchen for the dryer and freezer. ah well, we've done it this long we can manage.

Roald Dahl Childrens Gallery

Beth taking the ball out to play

Roald Dahl at work

Here's where we were. It's in Aylesbury, not to be confused with the museum in Greater Missenden

The Twits

We went in the Great Glass Elevator

Sian trying to make music

Beth with a YoYo

The ball floating after Beth threw it into the airstream

We managed to hitch a lift here on Clive's bus when they took the younger Summer Schoolers last week. Sian's favourite exhibit was the shadow pictures (sadly no photos as my camera batteries were on their last legs) and Beth's favourite was the one where you pump air to make musical notes (we have a picture of Sian doing it but not Beth, she wouldn't stay still long enough!!)

Sian wants to go back. I think we might.. and maybe on to Greater Missenden too as I love Roald Dahl and it's more about his work.

what next. i'll tell you what now. there are loose tiles on our roof and two in the gutter. i found out friday AFTER the housing dept. had shut. and as we're having a visit monday (didn't we just get one?) it can wait till they come.

it is still taking forever for hot water to come through downstairs. i sat with the hot tap running for 5mins before it was lukewarm this morning. yet trying to shower last night i scalded my back and froze my scalp in the same 30seconds. i'm going to pay to get my hair washed every week at this rate. even the kids are getting too big for their baby bath, and it's hard for me to get down there to wash their hair.

i've decided i can't be bothered to bust a gut getting this place sparkling clean for monday. we're here to live. not live in a damn show home. i can't move the freezer or reach over the top of it to get rid of the darned cobwebs. at least there are no spiders in there.

spiders. ugh. there are 2 places they ALWAYS seem to end up in this house (there's a third, i don't use that cupboard as it's awkward) between our drawers and our fridge/freezer, usually a big un with it's web down there and in the cupboard i keep the baking trays etc. there are usually two in there.

mm macaroni cheese smells done. my kids are gonna be happy with lunch. they're on a cheese kick today. they had cheese on toast as a snack (after their cereal!) and now are having macaroni cheese for lunch! just need to see if they want garlic bread with it (probably!) so i'd better go.