We're Making Memories

Just after lunch time today, The Boy Child begins

a little over two weeks of school holidays.

I have a fair bit planned for us to do,

and with those plans in mind, I won't be posting daily during that time.

Because, you know, we have to make the memories before I can write about them.

Or scrapbook them. 

Capturing His Other Life

The Boy Child is just finishing up with his second term

of Fencing Club (after school on Wednesdays).

As, obviously, I'm not there to see what goes on, I've been reliant

on him giving me the details.

Details which turn out to be rather sparse.

So, last week, I asked his TA if he could take a photo for me.

(The TA is a helper at the club.)

He then emailed an image via his 'phone.  Because the image wasn't the best quality 

(I'm not really complaining), I printed it out half-size and then trimmed it to 7cms square.   

(My apologies: late afternoon Spring light isn't that conducive to good indoor photography.) 

Can't think why I didn't ask earlier.

Initial Thoughts on Wearing Braces

I have a lot more sympathy for braced-up teenagers.  A lot more.

I've eaten gallons of soup.

I did manage a pub lunch of sausage and mash at the weekend,   

but only after cutting the sausages into the tiniest of pieces.

And then virtually swallowing them without a single chew.

Bonjela is my friend. 

Despite feeling as though I have a 'fat' mouth, people don't seem to have noticed.

The Boy Child announced that my teeth are ugly, but as he also said that before the braces went on,

I feel as though I can ignore that pronouncement.  

Talking about braces is boring.

  For everyone. 

 So I'll stop.

Be the Good

I was a late convert to Instagram,

but now use it regularly 

and I'm always on the look out for more beautiful feeds to follow.

{Suggestions welcome}

I put this A4 sized piece together in around 10 minutes,

having seen the original idea when scrolling through 

the images Instagram had selected for me.  

After recent events in London, it felt like the time to reinforce

the message within the message.

Memos: Mail: Me

This week, The Postie may have aided and abetted my ever-growing collection

of stripey tops,

 as well as allowing me to add to my collection of London-themed

reference books.  The Secret London book was recommended to me

by a neighbour who thought The Boy Child might enjoy exploring some

of the more obscure places listed.

 I have a few places already earmarked for visiting during the Easter holidays.

As for the weekend, on Saturday we went up to Little Venice for a stroll

along the Regent's Canal and lunch in a very picturesque pub.   

 We're fortunate that the overground train takes a mere 6 minutes

to reach Paddington station, and Little Venice can then be reached on foot within 5 minutes. 

Sunday was Mothering Sunday here in the UK, and apart from receiving a sweet card from

The Boy Child, it was a Sunday exactly like any other.

With added blue sky, blossom and vapour trails.

What Caught My Eye #9

"Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy."

~ Anne Frank

1929-1945

London | My City, Your City, Our City

We are in shock.

We feel deep sadness and grief.

We are not afraid.

London: a global city.

One made up of a thousand different cultures.

One that embraces those differences.

One that welcomes the world.

One that will continue to do so.

We are not afraid.     

Describe Your Family in Three Words

I read a post yesterday on Cup of Jo that set me thinking.

How would I describe my family in three words?

The first one that sprang to mind was loud. 

The Boy Child lives his life on full volume,

and, no, he doesn't have any hearing problems.

If I can't see him, either at home or when we're out,

I only have to listen for a second or two before being able to pinpoint his location.

And I can usually be heard yelling at any given point on any given day.

The second one is enough.

We are a family of three.

The Brainy One and I have a son.

We shouldn't have to justify why The Boy Child is an only child.

Quite frankly, it's none of your d**n business.

For us, three is the magic number.

The third word was left to The Boy Child to choose: brilliant. 

When I asked him why that word, he replied,

"because we are".

Which made me feel glad that he sees us that way,

because there are many, many days when we are far from that.

What three words would you chose to describe your family?

Turns Out You're Never Too Old

Call it vanity.

Call it what you will.

After years of disliking my smile,

I've done something about it.

Yesterday, and somewhat apprehensively, I went ahead

with a fitting for upper and lower fixed appliances.

Meaning, by the time I reach a significant birthday in May next year,

I will hopefully have the smile I've longed dreamed of.    

Memos: Mail: Me

I had a fabulous haul of Happy Mail this past week ...

the April edition of The Simple Things, 

tickets to a concert next month,

and ... ta-da! ...

confirmation that I had come up in the Wimbledon ballot

and was being offered a pair of tickets for Court Number 1

on the first Friday of the Championships.

As for the weekend, we returned to the beautiful Thames-side 

town of Marlow. 

No rain this time, just overcast. 

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life | Amy Krouse Rosenthal

I learned this week that the author Amy Krause Rosenthal

had passed way from Ovarian cancer.

She was just 51 years old.

Thanks to Cathy Zielske's online classes, I produced two albums

based on Amy's book, Encyclopeida of an Ordinary Life -

Me: The Abridged Version (in 2010) and Him: The Abridged Version (in 2014/15).

 Yesterday, I flicked through the marked pages of my copy

of EoaOL and stopped at this:

FLYING: When the captain announces we're beginning our descent,

and we're still pretty high above the city.  I'll think, if the plane goes down now,

we would definitely not be okay.  A bit lower, and no, we still wouldn't be okay.  Maybe now, now we might be low enough that if it crashed, we might be okay.  

That made me laugh out loud, because, you know, who doesn't think that?

Cathy has a piece on Amy here.  Cup of Jo has a piece here.

Los Hermanos

The Colombian is really good at sending us photos

of Los Pequeňos via WhatsApp.

Paired with the photos we have of Cachirulo,

I have enough now for them to have their own album.

I'm calling it Los Hermanos, Spanish for the brothers.

 I've a feeling that this album may turn out to be my most favourite,

{but don't tell The Boy Child}.  

If This Is A Few, I'd Hate To See A Lot

The Boy Child may support Liverpool football club,

but the truth is that he simply loves football.

The game, the facts and the figures.

Should he be able to hold down a job,

he'll be in the Sports Department at the BBC/Sky/CNN.

The geeky guy who knows everything there is to know about football.

 

 You can imagine my delight, when a lady I see every day

walking her dog when I am out walking mine asked 

if The Boy Child would like a few old footie magazines.

A few?

He's like a dog with two tails!

Reducing My Online Footprint

The Brainy One and I have been subjected to protracted anonymous attempts

to gain access to our varied and numerous online accounts

I won't bore you with the details, but suffice to say, 

we are actively taking steps to reduce our online footprint.

I have deactivated my Facebook accounts (personal and the blog's).

I have never been on LinkedIn.

I have never been on Twitter.

I will no longer respond to emails from friends where the body of the text

is merely a link and without a covering explanation.

I will, however, continue to blog and use pseudonyms for my family.

I remain active on Instagram.

I will delete comments where real names have been used.

The internet can be used as a force for good,

and I hope you'll stick with me as I attempt to navigate

a successful route along its many highways. 

    

Memos; Mail; Me

Last week, the Postie delivered my Defence Discount Service card,

an organisation supported by the British Government which offers discounts

across a wide-range of services for both serving members and veterans 

of HM Armed Forces.   

I was delighted to see many of my favourite brands

 offering substantial reductions.

I also took delivery of a new dog walking hat,

which I bought in the sale here.

As for the weekend, we were at the Science Museum early Saturday morning

for Autism | Early Birds. 

We were thrilled to be given free entry to the Robots exhibition

and The Boy Child was excited to show Dad Tim Peake's capsule.

Every boy needs a hero.

Started Life With One Idea, Finished With Another

Sometimes, when I take a photo of The Boy Child,

I know in that moment it's one that's going onto a scrapbook page. 

Sometimes, when I scrapbook that particular photo, the finished page

has turned into something completely unexpected.

Take the photo above.

I took it in the park one Sunday morning.

The Boy Child was insisting that he should wear his hat over the hood of his coat.

We laughed about it.

 In 2014, I took an online class via Big Picture Classes called

Scrapbooking Outside the Pocket.  One particular grid design

from that class has been used by me a regular basis.  

I searched online for suitable quotations about hats,

and when one popped up attributable to one John Oldham, 

I knew the page would no longer be about The Boy Child.

It would be about me.

Which was both surprising and upsetting.

In equal measure.

One Photo | Twenty Words

Someone is convinced that he'll be offered a place

at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

when he turns eleven.

Month in Numbers | February

February appears to have flashed by.

And I appear to have been too busy keeping up to record many numbers.

No matter; let's see what I did take note of.

180: the number of lengths I put in at the pool.

3: the number of charitable donations ~ a bookcase via freecycle, a bag of clothes

to the kids'charity shop and a bag of Christmas-themed bric-a-brac to the charity shop.

22,999: the biggest total of my daily step count.

  It was on the 8th, the day I visited our localish gigantic shopping centre.

And, yes, I'm still a stepcessive ... 

Too Many: days of rain.

A Gazillion: signs of Spring ... if you take the time to look.

11: the age our beloved pooch reached.  

***

Month in Numbers is the brainchild of Julie

and you'll always find a warm welcome over at her place. 

 Not to mention entertaining posts about a varied list of topics.

Go on over, stop by and say hello.

You can see my previous Month in Numbers here.

Taking Action

I read the paper.

I listen to the news.

I vote.

I am, I think, well informed.

But I have never been actively involved in matters that affect

the community I live in.

Until now.

Developers want to build on land where a detached house currently sits.

Build something that is out of keeping with the local area.

Build something that is roughly twice the size of the largest house on the road.

It is something that will directly impact on our life for a year or more if planning permission is given.

Last week, I wrote out a short note and popped it through the letterboxes of my neighbours.

All fifty two of them.

It may come to nothing, but at least I will have alerted people 

to what is proposed for our neighbourhood.

(The Council is not obliged to inform residents directly of any planning applications.

A notice on a lamp post is considered sufficient.)   

Taking action feels good.     

Memos: Mail : Me

During last week's blogging hiatus, I took delivery of my favourite kind

of Happy Mail: travel guides.

We've booked a week in Spain over the summer, thanks to lovely friends

issuing an invitation to stay with them for a long weekend.

So, three nights in Valencia and two nights in Barcelona either side.

I may have agreed to take The Boy Child to the Camp Nou.   

As for the weekend, we visited Windsor and Eton. 

 Eton College is not open to the public, sadly,

but the mile long High Street is worth a wander.