Plans afoot...

Another year has passed, nay, flown by. My analogy for the year as far as my blog is concerned is you know when you start to trail off towards the end of a sentence...? Well, that's it. More especially because you keep spotting something shiny whilst you're speaking. That's my blog. I keep wishing I could write like the girls who write the art lesson blogs I follow. But hey. Life has got in the way of regular blogging. But you know what, I really am happy with that. So be it.

This year's plans (remembering a plan is a basis for change ;-)):

:: keep going with Artist of the Month but with focus on the artist I choose for the spotlight board on the KS2 board at school. Lesser well known ones for the kids to comment on.

:: artwork of the moment, again that comes from the KS2 art board.

:: more focus on the children's art work here

:: my sister's wedding. For me beforehand, this encompasses hen do plans and bridesmaids' dresses. Sooooooo excited....

:: my solo trip over the summer :-) for another tick off the bucket list.

:: and continuing to tick, more like enjoy, a few more things from the bucket list

:: this is my 40th year. I will be setting on a 40th Birthday project that I will complete by the time I turn 40 in January 2015. So watch this space for updates through the year :-)

:: each morning, be thankful for another day. And the people who feature in it. And for what they are teaching me, whether they realise it or not!

My 2013 conclusions:

Be peaceful and happy.

Be thankful.

Look for the lessons in the day.
Do not force or push my way through life. Peace will set in when I slow down.
To have real friends I must be a real friend.
I am not afraid to ask for help.

The washing up can wait. Go tickle my children. Or have a Brandy Alexander :-)

Listen to my body.

Happy New Year.

X

I've been on me summer hols. So the artist for August has been delayed, maybe cancelled, or call it deferred, to September anyway. As well as much other communication. I've got some great artists lined up. I saw an exhibition in Glasgow's Museum of Modern Art of another artist who's name I had heard in passing but I might save them until September ;-) It's another fascinating character whose influences and inspirations are particularly intriguing and haunting. A few others lined up maybe before this one maybe!

So, no soundtrack this year. Instead, the road trip in bullet form: 

* Borrowed campervan due to the tragic loss of Betty. (I haven’t posted about this. Those of you who know me will know the story and the ongoing saga and we’ve just put it behind us). However, plans are afoot for the new mobile home!

* Heading to Wellington Country Park, driving 70mph in the borrowed van. Blimey. Never thought it was possible.

* Pops drawing a fire scene in his notebook; Me: “do you want to be a fireman?” –

Pops: “Don’t know, but I have back-up plans.” 

* Collected new van. Fingers crossed.

Next few weeks will be testing it out and planning its refurb.

* Drinking tea in the back garden with my auntie P and cousin S.

I’ve not seen my cousin since I was a teenager :-)

 

* Pops gets his iPod back after leaving it in the UK at Christmas. Father Christmas delivered it back to Grampa who returned it to us. A rather stunned but happy little boy.

* In the Beehive, Shifnal, watching the Lions’ final and deciding test against Australia. Lovely landlady who opened up early especially for us, bought us our first drink and gave the kids sweets!

* Daniel Craig, the British Lions and champagne all in one changing room…

* Camper Jam.

* Thecurrystall.co.uk. Proper Indian cooking.

We were talking about Oman and the Middle East.

He told us of a restaurant called Ibrahim's in Abu Dhabi, recommended by his Uncle. 

* Negotiating long grass in Havaianas is much like walking in sand. :-/

* I have a pink fringe!

* Andy Murray wins Wimbledon. Facts nicked from my friend DH: It is 77 years since a British male won the singles title at Wimbledon. The last British singles winner - Virginia Wade - won in '77 and Andy Murray played the final on 7/7.

* Alton Towers. Constantly thinking about possible art lessons…Alton Towers itself is a beautiful Victorian Gothic building designed by Augustus Pugin. He will be the subject of one of the Victorian architecture lessons in Year 5 :-)

* Bear goes on Sonic Spinball twice in a row, as soon as it opens at 10am without having to queue. She’s a daredevil that one. Next year she’s got her sights on all the rides.

* Scotland. Loch Drunkie. I want to camp next to this loch and get tipsy.

* Brig O’Turk tea rooms. My first cream tea. Whipped cream though. Tut, Scots, huh…

* Our Anniversary – a civilised meal in a beautiful restaurant, very nice. Then we walked back at 10.30pm and it is still light. We try to find a decent pub to have a night cap but most of them have three old men propping up the bar. So we end up at Hubby’s old local. No window to look through to suss the situation so we go for it. Instead there are three younger men propping up the bar and a tipsy barmaid whose lifestory we get by the end of the night…followed by a jagermeister.

* Braco graveyard with Pops to satisfy his curiosity. It turns out it is not a morbid fascination but he is looking for Alexander the Great’s and Charles Darwin’s grave. A ball of 7 year-old cuteness...

* Grampa’s 70th Birthday garden party.

* We start the van refurbishment ball rolling and meet up with the guy who did our last van interior as well as drop the van off as the interior specialists. A nice bunch of guys.

* Meet up with the Duchess who is England with the kids. So good to see the family and to see the children playing.

* Head to Dorset to camp for 10 days with some dear friends. Super as last year.

Despite one afternoon sacrificed to the Goddess of Pimms.

* Drop the van off after a lovely lunch at the local pub. Pimms, just in case it’s my last one, and a crab salad. Bear has a quarter of a steak and ale pie and finished most of it.

* We stayed in the Queen's Hotel in Southsea.

Hubby and I stayed in here one night after one of out first dates in our first year.

* HMS Victory

* Afternoon tea at Mum and Dad’s. They have the children for the weekend as we head to Brighton to surprise a friend for her 40th.

* It’s Gay Pride weekend and it’s fabulous! We see some great sights, too many hen parties though. A lovely hotel and I see the one I nearly booked at! Lots of rainbow flags and leather on the front patio! 

* Surprise for my lovely Banou in Hotel du Vin. She thought we weren't going to be in the country. We had left messages on each other’s phones and never actually managed to speak to each other. Apparently she was quite upset that I wasn’t going to be around. She is a calm and collected character and she showed no emotion when she saw us, she was genuinely stunned and surprised. A great evening at Jamie Oliver’s restaurant and then to Lucky Voice (karaoke) when I realised I don’t mind it, if there are no strangers.

* Lunch in Kemptown. I miss Brighton.

* Off to my sister’s in London. She’s asked me and Bear to be bridesmaids… :’-)

* Star Wars shop in Northolt, the Science Museum, Westminster Abbey (Darwin, Newton and Shakespeare’s graves and memorials and the grave of the Unknown Warrior were the highlight for the kids…I loved the whole place), Cafe Chutney at Covent Garden with opera singers, cupcakes and lollipops, Lego shop, the Fire of London monument.

 

* Harrod’s for Banou’s birthday. What a giggle :-) We made a pact that we would try and do tea at Harrods every year.

* Hummingbird bakery for more cupcakes.

* Final couple of hours with sis at the park. 

* This year – a wonderful, packed, fun holiday filled with lots of smiles, laughter and love. It’s made it harder again to come  back to Oman. I miss Britain and all those family and friends in it even more this year.

 

A weekend of being Super Mum…

Well, actually that's not entirely true. I could revel in the fact that Bear had a lovely sleepover here with her two besties thanks to my planning and creativity. 

Plan = Painting their own pillowcases, swapping friendship bracelets, decorating her room with streamers and balloons, using window crayons to decorate...well, her window and make their own pizzas. 

Reality = I go to Yoga all day (more on that later), they arrive when I'm still out, they play Barbies, Dad takes them to the pool, they make their own pizzas (one off the list at least!), I explode a huge party popper in her room (glad I'm not OCD), they watch DVDs all evening, more DVDs this morning, then I make them sit down and paint. (I didn't really, honestly, I just wanted to see these fabric paints I bought!). 

    


Now I'm making flapjacks for Bear to take into school tomorrow for her actual Birthday! A great recipe from BBC Good Food...the lemon zest is a great addition.

I think I'll know all about being Super Mum when football season kicks off. I've completed Pops' application to joining MCFL so that'll be every Thursday morning and one evening in the week where I'm taxi driver. (It's not guaranteed he'll be in but watch this space). Both kids have also started at Muscat Pirates, the children's rugby club. No after school clubs for these two!