Last week, I had my online book launch for my new book Boy Brilliance. Since then, I’ve taken the longest break from writing I have in years (a couple of days!) I’m feeling a bit directionless at the minute and I feel like my passion for it is fading a bit. I’ve been spending more time doing all the things I usually neglect (like cleaning!) and catching up with friends.
The girls have developed a sudden interest in bugs since my daughter started a mini beasts topic in school. I’m grateful for it because it’s cutting down on their spells of screaming over bugs in the garden 🙂 They have been collecting them (temporarily) and watching them in the garden, holding them and then releasing them 🙂 I love sitting out in the sunshine after dinner and just chatting and watching them playing 🙂 There is something about sitting in the evening sun watching the laundry swaying on the line that just stills my mind too 🙂
We called in on a sunny day after school to a local frozen yogurt place. I always seem to have some kind of mishap there and this time it was losing my strawberry sweet from the top 🙂 But the girls love it. I think they appreciate it even more because we never go there, so they’ve built it up in their minds as something special (and apparently I say no every time they ask to go!)
The weekend started peacefully. While the girls went to a new class, I sat and drank coffee, making notes of all the things they say. I always mean to write them down and never seem to get round to it.
On Saturday, we went to the farm. The girls were so excited to find that the play village and straw bounce are back open 🙂 It was freezing so I was glad of the coffee I’d brought to drink in the barn 🙂 The girls played in the toy shop and the vets for a long time. It’s funny the way toys in a different setting inspire such creativity in them. They got really engrossed in playing. They queued and were patient for the barrel rides. I guess they must be something special to enable my kids to do that 🙂
We went to see some friends and when we got home we cut out people and animals from magazines for an art project I planned to do the next day. Even without an aim in mind, I think cutting up magazines keeps kids focused for a long time 🙂
The next morning, we got the tuff tray out and moved the crafts outside to the sunshine. The girls did one of the crafts from their art box. They had to cut out fruit and add it to the bodies of the images they cut out the day before. They were called tropical collages and the girls seemed to find them hilarious 🙂
I saw something in a magazine about picking tall buttercups to put in a vase. Even though they are weeds, they are still cheerful to look at 🙂 I just filled a jar with water and got the girls to pick some to brighten up the kitchen. The last bunch of flowers I got had died, but the girls asked if they could have them for flower arranging in the garden. They enjoyed arranging them in a little tin. Afterwards, they used the petals for pretend soup, so at least the flowers got plenty of use 🙂 I love sitting outside with coffee and having slow mornings with the girls. If it was sunny in Northern Ireland more often I think life would be much easier 🙂
The Funky Thrifter 