Our Inner Child.

I like being a Mum for many reasons.

The hugs and kisses, the smiles and "I love you Mum".

Being able to pass on skills and knowledge and trying to answer the endless questions.

Another reason is being to go into a Toy shop guilt free and be able to buy something without getting funny looks.  (Well, not many funny looks, maybe just one or two perhaps!).  Being able to re-live your childhood by introducing your child to books and games you loved as a kid.  Sophie can not get enough of Enid Blyton's Naughtiest Little Girl Series.  

To go into Toy R Us and see how some toys are coming back round again but this time you might be able to afford to buy it yourself without permission or it having to be your birthday!

Another for Hubby and I,  is to go and see films at the cinema that we might not normally go and see.

So this afternoon we went and saw....................

.....Monsters University.  As a family we like the  Monsters Inc Film and when this came out in July we were going to see it but the unusually lovely summer made us forget all about it.  Until last Sunday.

It was good clean fun with very funny scenes, in fact there were some which I have seen in real life and gave you that "Oh yes, I have been there".

  The time went really quickly and made us all laugh which is what it is all about.  So if you have a rainy weekend and your cinema is showing this film it might be a good way to spend it.

During the trailers they advertised this film..........

Turbo!

I like the Fast and The Furious films with Paul Walker and this seems to be a snail version.  The clips they showed were really funny so this may be our next spontaneous cinema visit in the weeks to come.

So just picture it..........a common garden snail who is zapped by something which gives him the power to move at lightening speed!  With some not so gifted side kicks.  

xx

Downton Abbey Series 1 & 2

I appreciate that I am behind everyone else about this series but at Christmas I did use some birthday money to buy a double DVD case of series 1 and 2.  I have only just got around to watching it.

I started to watch it last Friday evening whilst hubby was out.  I had only watched episode 1 on my own when he arrived back home.  Since then..................well,

we have both been watching the episodes back to back!  It is really compulsive viewing and hubby is really enjoying it too.  The hour for each episode just flies by.

As for the costumes.....well I am going to have to do a whole post just on those.  I so nearly applied for a theatre costume design course way back but plumped for the fashion one instead.  There is still a very large interest there for me even now.  I really like the film Titanic for the costumes and colour used.

So, we are now into series 2 of the DVD's and once I have finished this post we shall be seeing what happens next.  Downton Abbey has just been turned into a convalescence home for the officers, for those of you who have already seen it.  I now need to find series 3 as well.

I can see why so many people raved about it.

Bye for now.

x

Birthday Treats

Having a birthday so close to Christmas is not great really.  It gets swallowed up with all of the Christmas preparations, people are busy and everything is often booked up more than a year in advance.  So I have learnt to plan small and simple and the day is often a lot of fun.

So this morning I had only a little breakfast as we planned to have lunch at a local pub.  I then opened some lovely presents with Sophie sitting very close to me, she absolutely loves birthdays and gets very excited no matter whose it is.  Such enthusiasm is infectious and she makes it  all the more enjoyable.

I have enjoyed watching the programmes last year and this which go with the books shown and hubby found both on Amazon for me.  They are the kind of books to go back to and inspire ideas.  They are also fun to read.

 Needle or machine felting is a lot of fun and I have enjoyed several Embroiderer Guild classes on this but this book will also be useful to show Sophie too.

The craft book has some lovely project ideas and it is the colour combinations that I like to look at.

There are lovely pictures to look at all through both books.

Handmade Home also has how to make jam and pickles.

We had a lovely quiet lunch at a pub which we have been to for birthday meals before and we were the only ones there....sign of the times perhaps.

Afterwards we went to Wadebridge which has a little cinema and watched Puss in Boots which was really good and 2 hours just flew by.

I was also spoilt with some Cath Kidston items which included a lovely fountain pen.  Fountain pens have had a bit of a revival recently on this side of the family ever since Sophie found out what they were and everyone found one which they "used to use". Then new ink has been bought and pens have been dusted off and they are now used with renewed enjoyment.  The one I still had I used at school and you can not get the right size cartridges anymore, so new lovely Cath Kidston one was given from Sophie.  I think Hubby helped with this.   Of course a pencil case is needed to look after the new pen so I shall start the new term all kitted out.

I shall show the compact which my sister bought another time along with some buttons as it is late and I need my beauty sleep, seeing as I am now a year older (sigh).

I also realise that many may not be tuning in for the next few days but you can catch up with my posts in the New year and I might forget to post if I leave it.... does not take much for me to forget you see.

It has been a lovely quiet day which I wanted.  The first birthday that I did not have wishes from my Dad which did seem odd and a card without his name. Hmm, there will be alot of firsts for the next few months.

Well, best get my bedtime cup of tea......xx

Harry Potter Finale

With Sophie on her Brownie Holiday, we have tried to make the most of being able to just pop off and do something.  So on Saturday we popped over to Truro to see the latest harry Potter film.

Unfortunately there were no seats left so we went out for a very nice Chinese meal.  We had not booked but we got in if we promised to be out by 9pm!  You had to be there, it was quite funny.

While we were at Truro we did buy tickets for Sunday to back we went again yesterday.

We did see part one last year with a group of friends but this time we went on our own.  We were not disappointed it was very good indeed.  When you think how young some of the cast members and support cast are plus the expectation that everyone has as well.  Hubby was not so sure about part one but you could see that it was setting everything up for the final installment.

The effects were very good and the stone knights were very realistic.

Part one did not have many of the other cast members in it so it was a surprise to see how some of the cast  had grown up and changed in that time.

I have not read the book fully yet and once I had seen the first installment I stopped reading it then see the second part before carrying on reading.

Many loose ends are tied up and some odd threads that have been running through all of the films are cleared up.

Not entirely sure about the bit at the very end, I think that the time span was not thought about properly but I will buy it when it comes out on DVD so that I will have the full set plus the books which Sophie can then enjoy.  She knows about Harry Potter and wants to see them but has heard that it has some scary bits and has self-censored it by saying that she will see it when she knows that it is not going to give her "horrid" dreams.  Not daft my daughter.  I also have the books too.  The whole series has been very cleverly written and they are fun to read at any age. I have read many David Eddings and Terry Prachett books, so adults who read these should give Harry Potter a try as well.

We are due to collect Sophie in about an hour from her Brownie Holiday and I have really missed her.  I am anticipating lots of chat of what she has been doing plus a very tired little girl.

Crafting has been slow this past week as I have been doing marking for next term but my next crochet project is getting there.  My sewing table in the attic is out of use due to vents and pipes being put in for an extraction fan of the new shower room, so I have been banished to the kitchen table which already has paperwork on it.  I am, however looking at the living room floor as my next work area for the time being!

xx

Film Friday....Daniel Craig

A return to an old regular posting.

Has anyone else seen this yet?

I am going to sit down with a drink of some kind, some sewing and drool over this....

At work we all seem to have had the same idea and bought this DVD with our weekly shop. I enjoyed Casino Royale so looking forward to seeing what this film is like.

Ballet tomorrow morning and then decorating Sophie's room, well it is going to rain for most of the weekend, isn't it?

Enjoy the evening.

xx

Updated on Saturday

Well...the film was very different to the last one and the stunt coordinators and actors must have needed constant first aid whilst filming the action scenes. I thought it started off ok, could follow what was happening then lost it as it did appear that there was not anything to follow. I have to agree with April that there did not seem to be a very clear story line other than Bond wanting revenge which was clear, but where the rest fitted in was not made very clear and people were being bumped off left right and centre. Daniel Craig did a very good job though and I have gotten used to him playing the role, but the story must have a beginning and middle and an ending. Basic story writing skills. I am more than willing to proof read the next one if it helps.( ha ha). If you have not seen it do, you may fell differently. My hubby has yet to see it so I do not have the male view yet.

The week has 'Gone with the Wind'

It is friday... it is offically the start of half-term ( oh yes yes, thank goodness !) I need to dis-engage my brain, vegetate , catch up on some sleep and feel more human. That process starts tonight..
Hubby is out, Sophie is in bed, I have a bubbly drink, some sewing and the chance to see the following from start to finish for the first time, (always a reason in the past why I could not) yipee!

Have a great evening.

XX