Risk Assessment at Pretty Suns !

Everyone that knows my lovely husband Andy will tell you that he is a little accident prone at times. Always has been, the source of much hilarity to the children as they grew up when he would trip,fall,stumble or bump into things. He was so busy talking to Kaye in Swansea one afternoon that he completely failed to see the signpost in front of him and walked into it with a very large bang! Staggering around dazed in the street while the kids were helpless with laughter.....bless him. One very memorable moment and also very public one, was while we were shopping in Boots store in Swansea about 6 years ago, we went upstairs and turned to the left towards the baby things, there was a central display console with fitness equipment on it and I noticed that someone had taken a step machine off the shelf and placed it on the floor to try it out, I avoided it easily, but Andy, blithely unaware of his surroundings tripped over it. I saw him falling out of the corner of my eye and shot out a hand to steady him. How fantastically quick were my reactions I hear you say, sadly the only effect was for me to punch him in the side of the head as he fell, he reacted by doing a commando roll whilst covering his head and shouting loudly "don't hit me again"  The shop came to a halt, as all eyes were trained on us and I tried to tell him through tears of laughter, (I can't help my sick sense of humour) that I was trying to save him and not hit him! He has never forgiven me and this story comes up regularly around the family dinner table, much to his discomfort. 
Today he came home from work and went to plug in his lap top, bending forward to reach the socket he caught his nose on the hook for the tiebacks. He stood up holding his nose as I asked if he was O.K. and what had he done, he explained and with a bemused smile I said that we needed to risk assess the house and remove all sharp objects. Without blinking an eye he said that would be great but what would we do with my tongue!!!! I couldn't help but laugh and did see his point. 
That's why I love him, he makes me laugh in every way, every day and doesn't take himself too seriously. I am truly blessed.

THE THIEVING B*****DS HAVE BEEN AT IT AGAIN!!

The low life scum are at it again!! Tower field has been the target this time and poor Tony from Jubilee had the door forced and a wallet and 'phone stolen.

This happened on a Tuesday the same day as the other recent theft...could this be a coincidence or is there someone around on a Tuesday that isn't normally about? Be vigilant folks, lock up and put valuables away..if you see anything suspicious report it straight away to the police,  then come and round up some Laners to dish out some instant Karma to the thieving s**tbags or of course that could be in the opposite order if the mood takes you!

2012 has arrived ..HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

The New Year is here...after the celebrations over Christmas with family and friends it is nice to draw a line under the over indulgence and return to normality. We went to Fat Fighters on Thursday and miraculously I only put on 2lbs! Andy (who has been a bit of a piggy) gained 5lbs. Having said that he loses it far more easily than me  so I'm sure he'll be back on track in a week or two. 

Xmas day was spent in Malvern with eldest daughter Danie and hubby Charlie and the fabulous 6 kids, Erin,Kate,Will,Ben,Grace and Tom. We went up on Xmas eve after collecting the Organic Norfolk Bronze turkey crown and the biggest slab of Welsh Black beef you can imagine. The van was loaded to the hilt with food,booze,presents,decorations and party things, not to mention suitcases. The children went off to bed after the traditional reading of a beautiful paper sculpted book..The Night Before Christmas. We read it to our children every Christmas eve and still do even though they are all grown up and now it's the Grandchildren's turn.  We then had fun sorting out all the piles of prezzies and getting ready for the big event. On Christmas day we were joined for a fabulous lunch by my lovely Sister Sharon and cherished family friend Heather...12 of us around the table with party poppers and crackers..lovely grub and great company...HEAVEN! We played daft games in the afternoon and then settled down in the night to watch Xmas movies. Danie was very clever about present opening and it was done in several stages allowing the kids to actually enjoy the gifts before moving on to the next.

On Boxing morning we were joined by Kaye,Simon and little Sebastian, all dressed up in his little elf suit. 

Sebastian in his Elf suit

After lunch we made our way home and were greeted excitedly by the little Tink and Dan and Lyndsey. More presents to unwrap...especially Tink! On Tuesday I was back in work for the morning,did a bit of shopping in the afternoon and cooked a full turkey dinner for the evening arrival of Kaye,Si and Seb. Yet more present opening and even more goodies for Tink. She especially loved the Xmas hat and scarf for the lovely Gemma Bevs!

Super cute Xmas Tinkerbell.

The mighty Joe Schmo played their now traditional 'inbetween',  gig at The Plough and Harrow in Murton on Wednesday night and it was packed to the rafters as usual.

Friday got us all together again this time Hannah,Megan,Karl,Pippa,Finn, Sue and Mike joined us and we somehow squeezed 13 around the table for a huge roast gammon joint with all the trimmings and followed by the biggest trifle in the world,cheesecake and a flaming Xmas pud, not to mention the vanilla sponge castle cake with chocolate frosting the girls made!!! 

Megan & Hannah with their Castle Cake...Yummy!

The damage to the waistline doesn't count on such warm and momentous occasions and after a great game of 'Don't Panic' which Hannah won by a mile, we all agreed it was a lovely day.

We saw the New Year in at Sue and Mike Prankerds with more scrumptious food,copious amounts of booze,great friends and a finale of fantastic fireworks and a bonfire in the garden. 

2012 has gotten off to a great start and I have a feeling it's going to be one of the best years ever! 

I have been blessed with a year of marvellous happenings that have given me wonderful memories and I know that I am truly blessed and for this I am deeply thankful.

I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy & Healthy New Year

THEFT ALERT

PLEASE BE AWARE THERE HAVE BEEN THIEVES ABOUT ON THE LANE.

NEW DAWN WAS BROKEN INTO AND A CAMERA AND KEYS TAKEN. IT APPEARS THERE MAY BE A LINK TO A GREEN SALOON CAR SEEN AROUND ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS CONTAINING SOME FOUL MOUTHED UNPLEASANT YOBS WHO TOLD A 7 YEAR OLD TO F**K OFF! IF YOU NOTICE IT PLEASE JOT DOWN THE DETAILS,MODEL MAKE AND MOST IMPORTANTLY REGISTRATION & RING IT IN TO THE POLICE WHO ARE INVESTIGATING.

SAD TO SAY THIS BUT LOCK EVERYTHING UP

A WORD OF WARNING TO THOSE COMMITTING THESE DESPICABLE CRIMES....YOU'LL WISH YOU'D BEEN ARRESTED IF WE CATCH YOU AT IT!!

I CALL IT KARMA & I SINCERELY HOPE YOU LOT GET YOURS SOON.

A wedding in a seafront castle....

Wow what a weekend we have had...we sadly had to miss Sandy Lane Fete as we were invited to a family wedding. Andy's brother Gareth married his long time love, the beautiful Fran on Saturday. We drove down on Friday night and all met up for a meal and a chin wag.We unloaded the van at the best man's house as we had all the band gear and then spent a relaxing night in a very nice hotel in portsmouth. Next morning we set up the band in the marquee inside the keep of Southsea Castle. Had a bite to eat and then donned our finery for the wedding. It was truly lovely and Fran looked stunning in her white dress with black detailing...the whole theme was black and white and it looked chic and elegant.

 In the evening we danced our socks off to Joe Schmo veven 80years old Betty,Andy's Mum got up for a bit of a bop!! Gareth sang Sweet Home Alabama with his brother and fulfilled a lifelong dream! They were great together too.We had a late night and after a nice sleep we packed up next morning and headed home to Wales. Back to work on Monday for everyone(except of course the honeymooners). Great times and with every birth or union our family grows and that is indeed a blessing.

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!

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!