Friday Smiles 32 ...Ben and Jake' first day at big school ...a visit ... or two

Its Friday already ....so what have I been up to ?....and what brought a smile to my face? ....watch out its gong to be long... I shall try not to make it too picture heavy.

Last Saturday Ben Jake and Olly dropped by ....not forgetting their Mum and Dad !!...I like to show you the shots that are full of fun and show their character but I could have filled this with the others I took....maybe a few more another day when I have played with them.
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Jake ...being interupted while playing with Hexbugs

 Olly ....being a detective

 Ben ....always asking questions ....I said say ' Gorganzola' ...it works with Kris and Robbie ...stops the awful grins that go with saying 'cheese' but Ben had to ask why and then look bemused at his strange Nana.

Then Steve took loads of shots with me cuddling the boys ...this was one of the better ones where we all were looking in the right direction ...well it was not bad for Olly ...This makes me warm and happy every time I look at it.

Then came Tuesday ....I had booked a 'Drivers Choice' bus tour for Jay and me ...a mother and daughter day out ....it was called a 'Magical Mystery Tour' ....sounds great  ....this is a smile because I still cant believe the day. I thought that we would be travelling through the pretty country side, stopping at picturesque places  for coffee and lunch ...and back by a different route ....after all it was a 10 hour day.
The day went thus ....
30mins late starting..
Put on a different bus because the other broke down ...
60mins picking others up on route and then changing onto a proper coach
So far I understood the logistical problems.
Off we go ......mainly down motorways to Glasgow ....
Here we pull up in front of a new Transport Museum ...you could hear the groans ripple through the coach.
We were left for nearly 3hours to eat and 'enjoy' the museum. It was not too bad but I was glad to get back into the coach.
FIVE MINUTES down the road the coach pulled in and stopped ......outside ....you guessed it ....another museum and art gallery....there was a stunned silence.

(I shall show you the photos I took on another post ...)
We were left here for another 2 hours before getting back on the coach  ...wizzing down the motor ways and arriving back 40 mins early.
If we had known where we were going I would have prepared myself as museums are not my first, second or third choice for a day out ....probably because most days out with my late hubby were to museums or castles. Jay and I used to rush round them while Steve and Pete used to read every thing...well Pete did ...but two in one day was too much.

Lastly .... Wednesday was  Ben and Jakes first day at big school
I think Olly wanted to go too

Come on Mum......

Sorry it was such a long post.....now pop over to Annies for more smiles.
Take Care xx

Friday Smiles ...wk 31

This is a quick one ....Schools in Fife went back  on Wednesday ...Robbie and Kris are at the age where they WANT to go back and the last week of the holidays are not filled with sadness that the break is over ...but excitement that the new term begins. I am not sure I ever felt like that.!!!!!
Here they are waiting to set off on Wednesday morning.

Some of you will remember that I was off to steal some shots from Face book, last week, of  Ben Jake and Olly while on holiday in Ireland ....these made me smile.

 

 

That last one of Jake makes me think he could be a model ....such a poser xx

Enjoy more smiles at  A Stitch in Time
Take Care xx

Friday Smiles ...wk 30 already.

Another week of smiles for us to record and then to link at Annies 'A stitch in Time'.
I have two main ones this week ...firstly ....
Out Of the mouths of Babes
Kris was chatting about foods that were healthy  ...or not ...a tad deep for a six year old I thought... and I did not want him to be obsessed by it all so I explained that homemade healthy meals, lots of fruit and vegetables and a little naughty food makes for a perfect diet. I then added that if you eat too much naughty food and too lilltle good food, you would not have the energy to run around and he might get fat too.
He thought for a moment ...'Is that what happened to you Nana Anja????'


Secondly ....A Guilty Ellie
 Ellie and Barnaby love watching Holly ...and Ellie loves to lie in the play pen with her and this is how I left them....

   I returned 5 mins later ....Is this not the face of some one caught in the act ....Holly was under her paw under the  blanket!!!!!

I am off to steal some FB photos of Ben, Jake and Olly ...from their holiday in Ireland. 
Hopefully I will see them soon but the car is very sick ....just got them home ...not sure whether it is terminal or not .. but certainly will be a strain on the pocket.

Take Care xx

Friday Smiles ....wk 29 ...

 As  many of you know, Robbie is a special child ...his giggles makes those who hear him, giggle too. He has loved Sponge Bob since he was tiny and this love never diminishes. He has gathered a collection of Build a bear characters over the past year and we had to get SB Pineapple House for his birthday ...He announced that it was Robbie's and promptly stuck his head in it ....

 He has begun to play more imaginary games and has started to actually enjoy dressing up ....so we got him a medical outfit.
I would like to introduce  Dr Robbie ...known to remove all problems with his smile and giggles.

Happy 8th Birthday Dearest Robbie

Hope he made you smile too 

Take Care xx

Friday Smiles ...cats and bubbles ...and boys.

 I think Summer is on the way out ....they have forcast rain for the next two weeks with sun on and off ...ah well we had over two weeks of glorious weather.

 At the moment I really look forward to Friday Smiles with Annie and her friends at ' A Stitch in Time' ...I know I will get back to crafty things eventually ...well I better .... with all the stash of different kinds I have.

 These things made me smile this week .....well the first didn't at the time.

Ahhhhh ....Clean washing

' Move???? I think not ' said a comfortable Wanda

 With Kris and Robbie living in the same house as me I get to see all those special  moments
When ever we find cheap bottles of bubble mix and wands, we store them away and and get them out when the boys need something to occupy them ...they played for a couple of hours with all the different bubble wands. Thanks Steve for your 'red nose' contrabution to the store. 
'Bubbles are fun'

 I love clouds too ...I remember that when I was a child, I would make up stories in my head while I lay on the grass watching them ...now I have to be contented with sitting on a bench ....  this made me think of a mythical world high in the sky.

 and this was just a beautiful effect.

Lastly ....I had to share this photo of Ben Olly and Jake's little fashion parade, that I stole from DIL face book page...they were trying on their wet suits ...ready for their holiday.

 

I hope something here brought a smile to your face too  ....I shall be round later to see what made you smile.
Take Care xx

Friday Smiles ....The sun is still shining.

I am really not prepared for this weather …well we are lucky if we get more than two days without rain …no matter the season …and as for the temperatures hovering over 70 F …yes I know many of you think that is a perfect Spring  temperature …but up here in Scotland 70 F and anything above.... with the sun actually shinning… is a HOT summer. Our bodies are not acclimatized to much above 65 so most of us are struggling …. and then there is the  fact that I don’t have a hat/cap …. well the last time I needed one was 2005 …and I don’t have sun cream ….normally I steal some of the kids stuff but they are away and sensibly have  it with them. …well who would have thought it would last this long.

What I do know is that sun and sea makes me smile and lifts the spirits  …well mine anyway.
 As I sat enjoying the sea view, I had to discreetly smile as I heard a boy of about 12, with younger brothers, retort to his father…

’So what are we supposed to do here?’ ...The poor man answered in exasperation and a little disbelief …,
‘Dig in the sand! …make castles! …paddle? …throw stones???’

 …sadly I could hear the youngsters sigh, even though he was now past me …I felt he had been dragged away from a game console or computer and was not ready to forgive his father.

While I was at the beach I also broke the law ...yes me ... and it too brought a smile to my face.
No longer can we feed the gulls but I could not resist secretly dropping a few crumbs for  a singularly handsome chap...that's him...waiting for more ….I had to giggle as he chased away a younger gull …he was not prepared to share these few crumbs.
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Lastly I'd like to ask a question ...do you feel that a 'scenery' shot looks vintage if produced in sepia or B/W ...I do. This is a shot looking away from the beach.

Now if you want more smiles...if this actually brought one to your face .... drop over to 'A stitch  in Time'  for other things that have made people smile this week.
Take Care xx

Friday Smiles ...nearly missed it ...again.

Nearly missed it ....again but at least I remembered in time ....just.
The sun is shining but it is too hot  for me to sit out ... except early evening and early morning ...but it lifts the spirits.
 Its is one of those days that, if it were overcast, one could feel down, as I have just heard that a friend has had to cancel two things on his bucket list and go into a hospice for pain control....we hope he gets out to enjoy some of the things he has treated himself to....things he wanted to buy but kept putting off.

What did bring a smile to my face are these photos from my DIL....

Three little farmers go out for a picnic .... bless them

 Daddy gives  Jake, Ben and Olly a big hug

Take Care xx

Here Comes Summer ....I hope.

Yesterday the temperature rose from the  13ish C (nearly 60F) of a few days ago, to an amazing 26C( 78F) 

  ...so all other plans were shelved and we headed to the beach ...we are so lucky that this one  is only 2 miles away.

Robbie was a little sad when the tide rolled in ....so I tried to distract him by taking loads of shots to catch his attention ...here's Jay pointing to me and my camera .

 He was a little  bemused that the sand had all disappeared

 but I sat and explained that it was going to roll out again...

After some Kite Flying .... that I could not capture ...no matter how hard I tried ...they chilled out on the grass above the beach.

 They didn't want to move until we tempted them by a lunch at the cafe above the amusement arcade ...followed by some change to play with later, on the games.

 It was a great lunch ...Macaroni Cheese ...followed by this...... we only needed a very light evening meal

I just wanted to show you how happy Robbie is in the water ...hard to believe he was scared of it a few years ago.

Take Care. xx

Friday Smile ...Play-doh day.

What is it about the weather ??? ....it has been dull and over cast ....typical school holiday weather... so before bed last night,we promised the boys  a Play-Doh morning ....and they have a lot ....we got about half out on to the table, ready for them...and the boys got up in a playdoh frame of mind ....however...the sun was shining ...perfect for a day at the park ...could we persuade them to leave the house ....no it was Play-Doh or nothing.

Their determination....Robbies concentration on the project in hand ... and then watching them having a fun morning, brought a smile to my face.

You may wonder about the School Holidays bit, if you live in England .....Scotlands is much earlier ...July 1st to mid August.

Take Care.xx

A Day out along the East Neuk ....to Crail

This was my  trip to Crail last week,….alas the sun was not shinning and it was a little  muggy but at least there was nor a rain drop in sight..
This is about 1 1/2 hours from me by bus …thank goodness for my free old age bus pass.
This is what met me as I alighted .

CRAIL…or as it was once known, Karel ….was thought to be in existence at the time of the Picts …(early Celtic Medieval times)…it was a Trading and Fishing port in the 12th Century …and held the largest Market in Europe at the Market square.

  Burghs were created in Scotland from the 12th century. They had the right to hold markets, levy customs and tolls  and this was the original use for the Tollbooth shown above (the building with the tower).
Robert the Bruce, when King, gave it Royal Burgh status in the early quarter of the Thirteen hundreds and this entitled it to have an elected council led by a Provost  and Baillies (civic officers) who also acted as magistrates over local crimes. The Tollbooth housed accused criminals awaiting trial, and debtors. It also was where public punishment took place, having stocks and whipping posts outside and occasionally  it was the place of execution resulting in the  displaying the severed  head.

I stopped at two eateries ….firstly, morning coffee at Julia's Café on the High Street

....all walls were  festooned in art work … and the tempting home baking made it hard to choose …I went for Lemon and Poppy seed scones ….and was not disappointed.
 I chose a quiet time …but by the time I left it was full.

Lunch was at Crail Harbour Café …on the way down to the Harbour.

  ….although the actual wood smoked salmon  was wonderful the salad was boring and I hate crisps with a meal…the view from my table and the friendly staff made up for it though.

 Crail Harbour is surrounded by 17th Century houses and cobbled streets making it a popular spot for artists to sit and create.. …shame it was low tide.

 I had a lovely chat to this lady who was part of a group of artists who meet regularly at the harbour ...she had been up at 5am to capture the sun rise in a Water colour ...the colours she had used were beautiful.

Lobsters and crab are still landed at Crail …. and I love seeing the baskets piled up on the cobbles.

 This final shot is a little bit of a mystery …apparently there is no remaining evidence of the original castle and I cant find anything about a fort  so what is this turret and wall, high up on the cliff ….maybe I need a visit to the Crail Museum and ask.
There’s a lot more to see ... and history to research ... so I think I need to go back …and sample more scones of course.

Hope you enjoyed my day out 
Take Care xx

Goodbye China Doll

 CHINA ....2000 -2013

You Will Be Missed So Much

Sadly we lost China this morning ...she had not been well for a little while but after the last visit to the vet, last weekend, she had gone down hill rapidly. We new it was now time to let her go to Rainbow Bridge ...and thankfully, she went so  peacefully.

She was a beautiful cat whose personallity was all you could wish for ...she comforted us humans through down times...especially Jay and little Kris.... and chatted when she thought we just might understand.
It was particularly hard for Kris as he chose her as a friend when he first came to live with us and was confused about his life.
 Even though we have so many cats, each one is so very special to us ....we all have our favourite few and when one of those goes, it is even harder for that person.

Take Care xx

Friday smiles ...Smudge finds a cosy spot ...and a forgotten ATC.

Nearly missed it again ....knew the date was the 21st as my gorgeous twin grandsons, Ben and Jake, turned five today and I sang 'Happy Birthday' over the phone to them ...but the fact that it was Friday slipped by unnoticed ...almost ....except that it struck me that tomorrow was going to be Saturday !!!

The photo I wanted to use is in fact on my DD camera so will use it another day but Smudge created a photo opportunity for me instead.
I have a bag hanging on the understairs cupboard which is in a strange place ...just by the back door ...and it contains old tea towels and cloths ...ready for what ever  use ....and away from cat hair so I thought.
As I went to grab one, this is what I found ....

 Dont you just love the expression of annoyance to have his comfy space discovered ...and to be woken to boot.

Talking of birthdays ....GS Kris was 6 on the 16th ....why is it they want to pull a face when you point a camera ....he just wanted to giggle and was trying to stop. He had a fantastic day out with 12 friends at  bowling and crazy golfing....Jay and Vicki must be mad but they had it so organized that it all went to plan.

  Now lets get back to that bag ....that all 20 cats have totally ignored ...'til today ....I saw Barnaby trying to annoy Smudge when he was in it ....10mins later ....... this is what I found

Lastly I have to say this brought a huge smile to my face as I opened it ....a gift from Slovenia ...I am not sure whether it was a surpise ATC ....or I had just totally forgotten....I think the latter...

Thank you so very much Dolores aka Cardarian ....it is so beautiful.

These are things that made me smile this week ...I hope they bring a smile to you too
Take Care. xx