Biffsugar

Dreaming of reading

 
When the children were small I used to daydream about sitting under a big tree reading for hours on end uninterrupted.  During the holidays I saw a window of opportunity to fulfil this dream!

 
The scene was set, the view was stunning, the weather perfect... surely this would be the day! 

Alas no, there were games that needed to be played and football to organise and snack administration and toilet trips and ice-creams to be purchased and all the other great stuff.  One day I will be able to sit under this tree and read all the day long, by then I'll probably wish I had someone to interrupt me!

Garden love

I'm loving my garden right now. 

 
My new arbor seat is making me very happy indeed.

 
the colour to match my newly painted gate...

 
The promise of all that is to come::

 
 
and what already is...

 

 

As I was taking a photo of this verbena - the colour of which never fails to amaze me - the dog grabbed the root of it and literally dragged it out of its bed and onto the lawn to chew it.  I just stood and watched.   If anyone else had done that I would have been devastated but that dog can do anything he wants and I just find it charming! 

 
Butter wouldn't melt!

A day in the forest

It was a wet Bank Holiday Monday and where better to spend it than the forest? 

 

 
Moors Valley Country Park to be exact.

 
The first time I stepped out of the car at Moors Valley I knew I was going to love it.  The smell of damp pine forest holds many happy memories for me of camping at Lowther Caravan Park near Penrith as a child and then of living and growing up in the lakes. 

 
By the end of our visit we were damp and tired but nothing that a hot chocolate and some cheesy chips in the cafe couldn't sort out!

 
Once back at home we had early showers and pyjamas and an evening of movies.  Great days!

Our first caravan trip - part 2

 
Part of the joy of caravanning is being able to take the dog with us.  Crumble had a marvellous time!  He constantly lay in the most obstructive places and we spent the whole weekend stepping over him.  He was also the worst behaved dog on the campsite as he's not used to being on the lead and tried to chew through his on several occassions.  Any chance he got he would run over to other people's caravans to meet their dogs - and there were a lot of dogs, but they were all small and well behaved and quite happy for a quick once around the campsite on a short lead.  Crumble has a lot to learn about doggy camsite ettiquette!

 

 
You can't beat a stable door!

 
Although we only stayed two nights we felt as if we'd been away all week.  The reality was we were only a couple of miles from home and yet with the weather so good we could have been in the South of France!

 

Our first caravan trip - part 1

After spending many years looking at campervans and then another couple looking at trailer tents we very impulsively went out and bought a caravan.

 
Aparently when buying a second hand caravan you're meant to tap things - "Did you do any tapping?" my friend asked.  Well no, we didn't know about the tapping.  Joe did get down on his knees and confidently looked underneath the caravan - I was very impressed and presumed this meant he knew what he was doing but I think maybe he'd read somewhere that's what you're meant to do.

We purchased the caravan in a moment of impulsiveness which is highly uncharacteristic for us.  We like to dither - a lot. 

After it arrived home we had a moment of panic when we thought perhaps we didn't get a good deal.  We found things we hadn't noticed or even known to look for.  We stripped it down and cleaned it out, we had our tea in it.  The kids played chess in it and then we had an Indian takeaway.  Eventually we spent a night in it, and it was good.  Our previous experience of camping has always been in a tent and always a dome tent where you can't stand up.  I've never understood this as I believe it's not too much to ask to be able to stand up whilst on holiday!  Camping for me always involved being cold and damp and lying awake all night shuffling around trying to avoid the rock that is digging into the back of your head.  By comparison the caravan is like a 5 star luxury hotel.

The next thing was to actually go somewhere - we had to tow it!  We got the towbar fitted and then had a little practice "off road".  I panicked and screamed "what are you doing?  Slow down!" - we were doing 4 miles per hour!

Eventually we plucked up the courage to go on the road :

 
I had no idea about caravan wear but apparently you have to have a special hat - only to be worn when caravanning :

 
I think it helps if the hat co-ordinates with your checked shirt.

This outfit can also be worn for sports :

 
and relaxing ...

 
And it was soooo relaxing.  At one point during the weekend Joe asked me what I wanted to do, I turned to him from my slouched position in the deck chair and replied "I'm thinking of putting the oven on". 

That was how relaxing it was.  I also found everything is so hilarious when you're camping.  Things that at home would drive you mad like hitting your head on the cupboard door or tripping over each other in the kitchen just seemed really funny!  I also enjoyed walking to the shower block in my pyjamas which is just an acceptable way to behave on a campsite.  Passing other people who you've never met in similar states of undress - spotty dressing gowns, big furry slippers and saying hello without the slightest hint of embarrasment.  It was fabulous!

 

This moment...

++ this moment ++

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Soule Mama

. . . . . . . .

 

Caravan

 
There is a new member of the Biffsugar family.  Her name is Mavis : :

 
She's an old lady now but still - hopefully - has a bit of life still left in her.  After dithering around for only about five years wondering if we should buy a VW T25 Campervan (which is still an ambition of mine!) we eventually settled on old Mave here.

Of course you can't go caravanning without a bit of bunting so she has inspired this ::

 
And you can't really have your tea in the caravan without a fancy tablecloth can you?

 
There is a definate lack of curtains in the photo I know.  The curtains it came with are very plain but will do for now until I can find something bright and funky.  Hopefully Mavis and the Biffsugars will be having some summertime adventures pretty soon.

New

 
The cards and decorations are all put away but this year the house doesn't look bare as it normally does after Christmas.  This time I was ready for it and I like that everything is simple again.

It is very dark and cold today.  A few huge flakes of snow fell and then stopped again.  The winter months are still ahead of us.

 
But the stove is lit and the dog is resting, so all is well.

Happy new year.

Advent - how do you do yours?

 

We currently have 5 different ways to count down the days until Christmas in our house.  Firstly my very own calendar which I have had since a girl.  Then there is the Bunny rabbit Christmas house calendar, the Christmas garland calendar, the advent candle and then there is this:

 
This is an ongoing project which each year gets 'tweaked' and added to slightly; a button here, some trim there.  This year it was the stamped numbers.  I have been in love with this set of stamps for several years waiting for the moment when I could no longer justify why I didn't have them.

The stocking advent was inspired by this photo from the Martha Stewart website:

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Tree Festival

 
Here is the Christmas Tree being decorated by my little helpers.

 
And here it is all finished and in position.  We then took the time to go around all the other trees in the church - and as always it was very beautiful.  Outside it was dark and cold and inside it was a hive of activity and twinkling lights.

 

 

 

 
After all our hard work we had to have hot chocolate and marshmallow twizzle sticks!

 
*****Perfect*****