A day for the girls...

I was off work on Tuesday and Karl asked if I could have Hannah and Megan for the day. I of course said yes as these days I don't get much time with them on my own. They popped down in the morning and we talked about what we should do with the day. By 11.00am it was getting warm but still overcast so we decided to go to Singleton Park with Tink first and then onto Blackpill if the sun came out.
We packed the bags and climbed aboard the trusty Gerty and drove to Singleton Park. We parked the car and went to the playground first, not Tink of course  she and I watched from the fence. We walked over to the boating lake and the girls were horrified that Tink did a poo and I picked it up with a poo bag. I showed them the doggy bins and explained that dog poo is not nice to tread in and can sometimes cause diseases especially for children. They nodded thoughtfully and agreed it was best to pick it up but both said they weren't going to do it!
We all decided it would be fun to paddle a dragon boat so we paid our money and climbed aboard..a photo opportunity if ever there was one. Thankfully no-one had a camera! Tink sat on my lap and Hannah and I paddled and Meg sat in the middle and steered. We paddled around in a bit of a zig zag pattern, I believe the correct term would be 'tacking' but there was nothing correct about it, we terrified a large swan boat full of an Indian family who had to take evasive action to avoid a collision. We got caught in the overhanging trees and had to stretch up and paddle backwards to disentangle ourselves. Tink wanted to chase the geese,ducks and anything else on the lake but I explained she was not related to anyone holy and it was unlikley  that she would actually be able to walk, let alone run, on water and I was going to keep a tight hold on her. She caused oohhs and aarghs from everyone who seemed to think it odd that my little dog was loving her first boat trip! We paddled on Meg screamed at a floating bit of wood....did she think it was a shark perhaps, who knows. Our ears were ringing and our legs were aching so we headed for the mooring point. Getting out was no more graceful for me than getting in but I made it without falling in.
We played a round of crazy golf, gave Tink a drink of water and then moved onto the bouncy slide and a roundabout ride. After all that we walked the perimeter of the lake and went to lunch in The Pub On The Pond and very nice it was too.

Super fast sliding!!

We packed up and headed for the Lido at Blackpill, parked Gerty in the shade and crossed the road. We found a shady spot right by the pool under the trees and the girls were straight in after slapping on lots of sun cream. I went to the shop and bought a big inflatable ring which the girls in the shop kindly inflated for me and a fresh bottle of water. The girls loved the ring and Tink loved the water!
I started to read my book but after a few minutes I noticed Tink was caught by the foot on the blanket, on closer inspection I found to my horror that she was attached by a fishing hook with 10inches of line still attached. I gently freed her from the blanket and inspected her little back foot....the hook had just nicked the skin but was totally embedded in her thick fur. I had visions of rushing to the vet but stopped panicking and went over to the shop who lent me a pair of scissors and I snipped the fur to remove the offending hook. How careless of the fisherman to leave that nasty thing lying around, thankfully no harm came to Tink thanks to her fluffy little feet but it could so easily have been a child and that would have been a different story.

Little Tink worn out after her day out!

After several hours of fun we were ready to go home and cook...the girls favourite pastime with Nanny.
We called into Mumbles and picked up some fresh strawberries and the ingredients for a nice stir fry for tea.
The girls chopped and sliced and diced and stirred and soon we were sat out on the patio eating with Gandy, Dan and Lyndsey. A nice bath and hair wash and then Gandy and I walked Tink and the girls back up Karl to put them to bed.....they both kised me goodnight and said thank you for a lovely day, Meg said I was the best Nanny in the whole world and Hannah said she thought so too. I thanked them both for being such good girls and making it such a fun day for me too.
My beautiful girls  make me very proud and I treasure our special times together...I am very blessed and I am thankful.

WATCH OUT WATCH OUT THERE'S A TEA LEAF ABOUT!

We are very lucky to live on Sandy Lane and for the most part it is a very safe place to be. Unfortunately every now and again we have a spate of thefts. I must warn you all of recent events, several thefts from cars and garden sheds have taken place on the lane recently. They even stole hoodies and fleeces from the cars, so please take your belongings inside, put a lock on your shed and be aware that there are some despicable b*****ds around who will think nothing of nicking your stuff.

As usual I have a message for these light fingered pond scum :

IF WE CATCH YOU STEALING, 

YOU'LL WISH YOU HAD BEEN ARRESTED!

The Fat is Fighting Back!!

Last night was Fat Fighters weighing night and it was Dan's first weigh after his holiday. He had been careful what he ate in Spain and it paid off with a further loss of 2lbs!! Andy also lost another 2lbs and is close to 11/2 stones loss now. I however have been a model of slimming world diligence and cooked all the meals gained 1lb!! Not fair, I am gutted, I felt so demoralised I wanted to run away and have a good cry with a bar of chocolate. I resisted the urge and this week I am going to keep a detailed food diary to see if I can pinpoint what is going wrong for me. I will not give up with it as I feel so much better already having lost 11lbs that I am determined to crack it!

Fat Fighting here I come..........

Blazing Paddles!

What a busy week we've had in our house...Kaye is here with gorgeous Sebastian who even wakes up smiling and gurgling, he's so laid back! This has entailed a bit more washing etc but baby clothes are sooo cute it's almost fun. We all got together on Wednesday night, by we I mean Andy and I, Kaye, Karl, Pip, Finn, Dan & Lyndsey. The table was full, we ate drank and chatted and it was lovely. Little Sebastian was the pass the parcel as everyone wanted a cuddle with him before he went to bed. A lovely night! On Thursday Kaye, Sebastian and I went to visit our bestest friends, Sue and Mike. Susie is now fully recovered from her carnival over indulgence and can now bend over with impunity!

Mike with the new improved access canoe!

Mike was very excited as he had launched his newest acquisition into the Neath canal that morning. The 1950's classic canoe that he recently bought and repainted with go faster stripes. Sue was there to take a pictorial record, she admitted she was waiting for it to sink but it didn't and Mike paddled around with abandon. Mike has never canoed before and had learnt his technique on the Internet. Sue was warned that she might struggle to capture the action of the paddles as they may move too quickly. I asked if he had got Sue wake boarding behind his speedy craft but he said no as Sue still has not conquered the art of swimming,even after several people have tried to teach her. After messing about in boats for a couple of hours Mike decided to get back onto Terra firma....more easily said than done! When Mike tried to vacate the canoe via the hole he had got into it through he found himself pretty much wedged. Sue had visions of cutting holes in the bottom so he could walk home wearing it, but, after much straining and maybe a bit of lubrication (don't ask) he did emerge from his tight fitting craft. Back at home we found him cutting his canoe to enlarge the hole. When asked why,  he replied, it wasn't safe in case of fire, he couldn't get out!!! I howled laughing and commented that his paddle stroke must've been quite something to worry about fire...blazing paddles came to mind and conjured up some disturbing images. We love Mike's super quirkiness and inventiveness but you never know what he's going to come up with next. Susie takes it all in her stride and smiles indulgently, most of the time anyway. Kaye and I laughed most of the way home even when we got wet with the rain, Good times!

Poop scooping!

Walking Tink around our beautiful area I always have a roll of poop bags with me to clear up after her,it's a neat little red bone shape holder that dispenses the bags from a roll and is refillable. It cost under a pound in a cheap shop in town and refills are 2 for 99p. There is also an added benefit that I have discovered these bags can be used for any kind of rubbish that I come across. Sadly I always come back home with some to dispose of. Why can't people take their cr*p home with them...I guess they are not blind to the beauty of the surroundings they find themselves in ..so why do the morons leave litter everywhere?  It's the glass I hate most due to the injuries it causes both humans and animals and it is difficult to transport home without getting a nick yourself as it slices through litter bags.
My message to these amoeba brained idiots is.. 
IF YOU BRING IT...TAKE IT HOME WITH YOU!!

I collected this within 30minutes of leaving the house!

I have also noticed that the art of bush, stone and tree decorating is growing at an exponential rate...everywhere we go we see the multi coloured little plastic bags of doggy poop festooning the surrounding foliage and landscape! What the hell is the point of picking up the poop, which although unpleasant is at least biodegradeable, wrapping it tightly in a plastic bag and then throwing it willy nilly over everything...are these people real?
In my usual forthright way I tackled a chap who was gently depositing his bright green, plastic, poop filled bag by the signpost on the golf course. I asked him who did he think would clear it up? He replied quite seriously "Oh sorry, I don't come from around here so I don't know where to take it" I politely told him where he could put it and even offered to deposit it for him if he couldn't manage...he picked up his bag and scuttled off, back under the bloody stone he crawled out from I suspect.
GRRRRR....I get very angry and each time I encounter litter dropping I AM going to say something, maybe it really is just total ignorance or maybe it's just no fear of consequences...now where did I put my Shillelagh stick?

NEW PAGE ADDED...Sandy Lane Fete 2010 Pics

Have a look at the new page on the right hand links for Sandy Lane Fete pictures 2010 courtesy of Holly. If anyone has anymore they would like to share please let me have them via email at penny@harris-john.co.uk or I can scan them in and let you have them back.......enjoy!

It's Carnival Time!

Kaye and Simon arrived on Friday night with Sebastian who is now smiling and giggling at everyone and is chubby and scrumptious. Dan & Lula are back from Spain having had a lovely relaxing week of sun and sea. Andy and I got up on Saturday and went to put the stage together and the P.A. system for the carnival on the playing fields. I entered little Tink into the dog show but although she wore her bestest Tinkerbell wings and wowed the crowd with her cuteness the judges did not give her a prize....stewards enquiry I say!

Tink with her wings on ready for the carnival

In the evening we all got together as Andy was playing the evening bash, we had a great laugh and got very hot and sticky dancing our socks off, my friend Susan got a little squiffy and was very entertaining as was Dan who amazed us all with his 'moves'..surprisingly light on his feet for a big guy, he had us in gales of laughter. The Schmo's were AWESOME, my new improved, slimline hubby was super gorgeous and in great voice, the tent was packed and the crowd were fantastic. At the end of the night Mike steered Susie homewards and we packed up and eventually rolled into bed at 03.15am.

We arose late and were joined for a late roast lunch by Mr and Mrs Po who brought their little dog Tilly with them. Mrs Po headed off home with Tilly and Simon caught the train back to London at 5.20pm, Kaye and Sebastian are staying until Friday and Mr Po is staying over to go to work in Cardiff for a couple of days. I am back in work on Monday and I am quite looking forward to seeing the girls for a catch up...it will be a nice break for me to be back in work!!

Mr Po & Sebastian

What a weekend,fast and furious and super fun with family and friends, what more can I ask for. I am blessed with a life that is full of music,laughter,fun and most of all love and I think I must be the luckiest woman in the world!