I'm back :)

I am sorry to have taken such a long break from the blog. It has been partly due to laziness and partly due to the kids using my computer a lot during the holidays. I have done lots of reading, DVD watching and cooking. I bought Andrew the first series of Gavin and Stacey on DVD - so funny! I have struggled with Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters which is a terrible shame because I loved North and South so much. Andrew Nicoll's The Good Mayor was pretty good but I didn't love it. I did really enjoy Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go.

We have had two full weeks of school holidays. Andrew's parents came to mind the children while we were at work in the first week, which was lovely, and then I took a week off. We had a couple of friends  come for sleep overs, we went to the pool (indoor, of course) and there has been a little bit of television/wii and gameboy. Jossie took this photo of Bethany's gameboy face. The tongue is crucial.

Bethany has also used reams of paper. I particularly like this robot with a cake head.

On Wednesday we drove for fours hours to visit Mim and Bill in Molong. We had such a delightful time and it was really great to see their farm as it was our first visit. Bethany was in her element. She has no fear - there is no way that I would touch, let alone pick up, a live chicken!

It was Bethany's birthday on Thursday and Mim made her a fabulous bunch of flowers cake.

It was one brilliant aspect to a fabulous day. The much longed for Liv doll arrived (thanks Tim and Shona) and all the presents were a big hit.

We went for long walks in the pretty, hilly countryside, gathering interesting items such as sheep skulls and wheat. Mim and Bill's farm is really lovely.

Bethany pretended to be a sheep. I have never seen a sheep sit like that......

Toby and Joss came into their own with the bonfire. Are all children possible pyromaniacs?

Bethany took a few birthday calls.

The next day we made doughboys in the still very hot embers.

It was a short stay but most enjoyable and I can't wait to go back. Mim and Bill will need a while to recover......

Now we are home and we picked Mum up from the station this afternoon. I go back to work on Monday so she will mind the kids. I suspect we will do some good eating :)

Blogger offered me some new templates. Red is my favourite colour. What do you think? Is it too hard to read?