Tribute to Lucy and Sydenham Walk- SAT 16.5.09

Here we are on 16 May and I am having a fresh baked baguette from those half-baked ones you finish in your own oven? Yummy! I bought them for Izzles as she loves them especially to start her ''finished SATS'' weekend on the best possible footing.

Mind you she'd promised she was going to sleep all weekend as she was soooooooo tired.

IT'S LUCY!!!!!11 weeks old today and looking at me with her head to one side: What are we going to do today? Poor thing was quite blinded by the flash judging by the size of those pupils....
She has big BROWN eyes by the way, NOT these blue ones which are caused by the flash.

Plan was to ''pop'' into town to choose some new specs for my updated prescription and then come home to CROCHET crochet crochet..... as the forecast was heavy rain.....

So here's my blanket ready to go : just have to decide on the next colour.... Izzles wakes up and says: this mid pink mum, but it's a colour I haven't yet used so it may look odd suddenly appearing halfway in? Or thr royal blue but that came after red the last time so...which one?

I go sit in my chair to ponder this....Very a la Lucy? From the chair I see the garden. And I'm in my pyamas just like Lucy said in her blog yesterday that she would be too- see this IS a Lucy tribute as she gives me soooo many good ideas! And always cheers me up!www.attic24.typepad.com . IN the garden - the sun came out- I discovered these!!!Clematis :sooo lovely and PINK and stripey!

Then JJ calls: the post has arrived and a magazine has come for me: whoopee!!!! This is a subscription that happened by accident: I had 3 for £1 and was supposed to cancel after that , but the payment went wrong and then the 3 came much later and there was a fuss and then I forgot when I was supposed to cancel and and and : now it's too late and I LIKE getting it anyway... Even IF there is hardly ever a decent crochet pattern in it, or even if there's only 1 is it VFM?

BUT I say to JJ: I like reading all the articles: the news, the letters, the new yarns... ooh they can be sooo scrummy...!!! He says: BUT but but you agreed to curb your magazine addiction...?!

And I say: well at least I'm not buying 2-3 kntting ones AND 2-3 sewing/embroidery/textile-y ones anymore am I?

Here it is and I like the cover cardigan BUT I don't really like knitting, nor am I very good and I'm VERY VERY SLOW. ( the scarf started a year ago is still only halfway- the coat it's designed for will fall apart before I finish it...have decided to add crochet ends on either side and finish it that way much sooner!)

AND THEN then : ooooh! I'm shouting and laughing and showing my kids and even seeking JJ in the shower- nooo let's not go there....- My letter ( e-mail) and photo are IN IT!!!

It's NOT colourful but very practical: it's when I added a crochet border to my daughter's school trousers- those grey- well worn hence the creases!!Very popular with my youngest- ones in the photo on the left.

When that excitement had subsided I chose my new specs and JJ and co came to help me decide as it's so hard to see when you try on specs without the prescription lenses one needs- so you stare at a blurry vision of yourself and there's this huge sticker on one eye and then you are supposed to be able to tell if it suits you????

I did find 2 pairs I loved at once but they were way outside the budget and eventually we did find some that I'll be happy to wear at work ( sensible black and white) and a fun ( BRIGHT MAGENTA!!!) pair for after work and these were BOGOF's.

AND THEN the day got even BETTER!!!!

We all went together on a walk from a village we have never visited in all the 12 years we've been here. OS map in tow of course! These are the pictures.....From Sydenham to Thame Park.

Pippa is loving this. Lucy had to stay home ( she was asleep) as she can't walk outside yet until Monday 18 May.( 2 days to go!!!!)

Wide open spaces: WOW. But why is the grass so pale? So yellow?

With Pippa on a short lead we walk among lambs and their mums.....

LOTS of lambs!

Funny lambs.

They stop and stare. We stop and stare back.

Then the weather changes.....

Still dry but windier and colder and Miss youngest is having a tantrum ( aged 9???)

I can just see the big house at Thame Park.... but we have to turn back. Miss Y is having a hissy fit and declares she HATES walking,lambs,mud,wind,us definately us......

Until we come across the horses.... She LOVES horses. ( but this is on the way back)

We see these but I don't know what they are and neither does JJ. Anyone out there know please??? Very tall. Blue pendant/ pendulous flowers, large leaves. At the top the leaves stand up like a pointed crown....Very striking.

Missy has cheered uo since the horses and HAS to be pictured with the biggest Dock leaf I have seen. JJ has a story about dockleaves and the days before toiletpaper was invented which I'm sure is his own invention to amuse the kids- or is it?

We have a lovely drink in the local pub: the Crown and then go home to bake ( and EAT) COOKIES!

JJ promises a lie in, followed by church, lunch and another walk for tomorrow: I can't wait!

THIS IS what weekends are for !!! Not the endless catching up on household chores and ''to do'' lists that we usually struggle with as working parents....