These Foolish Things....

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Well its all go here in the King household! Lucy is going to school in Fancy dress, then tonight she is having her little friend over for a spooky tea time, then we are trick or treating, and then we have been invited to a Halloween party! she is extremely excited, bless her little cotton socks! whilst she is at school today, big sister Katie is going to decorate the house( not sure what I am letting myself in for here!) and I will be continueing my hunt for a Pumpkin! Yes as mentioned in the previous post, my worries were not, as it turned ou, unfounded, there are no big pumpkins left, well not locally anyway, so I shall drive a bit farther afield in search of the perfect pumpkin!

I bet I sleep tonight!

Sleepless in Newcastle.......

Well whadya know! its 1.15 am and here I am WIDE AWAKE! again, having crept downstairs and brought my laptop back to bed with me,isn't it weird the things that go through your mind in the wee small hours? for example;

1) I am worried that I am not going to get organized in time for Halloween.

2)What if all of the big pumpkins are sold out?

3)There was an informal parents meeting at school tonight and I didn't go because A) I couldn't be bothered B)it was freezing cold, and possibly the feeblest excuse of all, it would have meant missing the first new episode of Hannah Montana.I am a bad Mummy and I feel guilty.

4) I don't know what to buy people for Christmas.

5)I am concerned about my ridiculously overdrawn bank account.

6)I have just realized I forgot to watch Nigella Lawson on TV tonight and I feel gutted.

7) I am hungry.

8)Tomorrow I must make a "to do" list, and stick to it.

9)Who's idea is it anyway to put the clocks back an hour?

10)I hate the Winter.

Well thats about it folks, am off to raid the fridge, it will all look better in the morning!....wont it?

Timothy Winters......

Have you ever read or seen something and it immediately transported you back to your childhood? well that happened to me this week, I brought home a poetry book from the library, and browsing through it, I came across this poem, I had forgotten all about this one! we learned it at school, I guess I must have been around ten years old, I found it deeply moving then, and no surprise...I still do! and whilst I read it, just for a moment or two, I was ten years old again, sitting cross legged on the chilly parquet floor of the school hall, I could smell the art paper and poster paints awaiting me in the classroom, I remembered the tiny bottles of tepid milk, and the sun streaming through the coloured glass windows, but most of all, I remember glancing over the children seated around me, looking for Timothy winters......did you have a Timothy Winters at your school?

'Timothy Winters'

Timothy Winters comes to school 
With eyes as wide as a football-pool, 
Ears like bombs and teeth like splinters: 
A blitz of a boy is Timothy Winters. 

His belly is white, his neck is dark, 
And his hair is an exclamation-mark. 
His clothes are enough to scare a crow 
And through his britches the blue winds blow. 

When teacher talks he won't hear a word 
And he shoots down dead the arithmetic-bird, 
He licks the pattern off his plate 
And he's not even heard of the Welfare State. 

Timothy Winters has bloody feet 
And he lives in a house on Suez Street, 
He sleeps in a sack on the kithen floor 
And they say there aren't boys like him anymore. 

Old Man Winters likes his beer 
And his missus ran off with a bombardier, 
Grandma sits in the grate with a gin 
And Timothy's dosed with an aspirin. 

The welfare Worker lies awake 
But the law's as tricky as a ten-foot snake, 
So Timothy Winters drinks his cup 
And slowly goes on growing up. 

At Morning Prayers the Master helves 
for children less fortunate than ourselves, 
And the loudest response in the room is when 
Timothy Winters roars "Amen!" 

So come one angel, come on ten 
Timothy Winters says "Amen 
Amen amen amen amen." 
Timothy Winters, Lord. Amen 

Charles Causley

The Brocante Home puttery treats challenge...

Lovely Alison over at Brocante Home has organised a really fun competition! she has asked anyone who wishes, to choose their own favourite puttery treat, and write a post about it, so here goes! my personal favourite;

Make a hot chocolate tray: fill a tray with everything you need to make the most scrumptious warm drinks- cocoa,chocolate flakes, tiny marshmallows, oranges, flavoured essences (vanilla, coffee, orange?), brandy, cinnamon sticks, sugar, a iny little whisk, your hot chocolate jug, huge cosy mugs, biscotti and amoretti...

The words comfort food, were, I am sure created for me! I love nothing better than sheer foodie indulgence, but it is not enough for me to devour the afore mentioned comfort food per se, it must be presented in a fashion which is pleasing to my eye, I like to make an occasion out of eating, and I just adore on a cold and miserable afternoon, to sit with my Daughter after school whilst amid the chatter from Lucy, we feed our souls with mugs of hot chocolate, teeny tiny marshmallows and shortbread rounds, I light a little candle on our tray and perhaps dot a few tea lights around the kitchen, and Lucy and I spend a very special hour just being Mummy and Daughter, whilst the wind or perhaps rain, remains a threatening presence outside of the window. I know as we sit at my small old fashioned kitchen table, that this is a moment to treasure, there will be many more, I know this, but for now,this is our haven.I have heard many a playground ryhme, recited times tables and soothed a tired little girl at this table, with its scratched surface and time worn edges,did another Mummy long ago serve warm drinks and sweet treats to her little one? I wonder.

My own childhood memories seem to revolve around food quite a lot! boiled egg and soldiers at tea time, potatoes baked in the oven until the skins were crisp, served split open with lashings of butter, sunday lunch with all the trimmings, homemade apple pie and custard afterwards, and yes! I do believe on cold wintery days, there would be hot chocolate.....what an utterly delightful puttery treat.

Escapism....

Oh its too lovely! I bought the dvd of Mrs Miniver off amazon a while ago, it has always been a favorite of mine, pure escapism! I mean whoever could be as perfect as Kay Miniver? but it is one of those old movies that I just simply have to indulge in every now and then,A warm lavender scented bath, An early night,a cup of tea by the bedside , and Mrs Miniver on the DVD player! Heaven!

Early one morning.....

I creep downstairs,quite alone, it is a chilly autumn morning and my feet feel cold upon the tiles on the floor of my silly flowery vintage kitchen, I choose my favourite rose strewn mug and switch the kettle on, I light lots of little raspberry scented candles all around the room, and look out of the window at my sleeping garden. It is truly Autumn, the grass looks wet with a million dewdrops, there is a dull stillness about everything, and I feel totally at peace. Soon my children will awake and the house will come alive, I will cook breakfast, the radio will be turned on, and we will talk and laugh, cocooned in this life we have made,It is half term, later we may go to the library, or snuggle up and watch a movie with hot chocolate and teeny tiny marshmallows.

I live in an old house,it is a lived in house, it is a home, I am a vintage girl,the beds are strewn with floral quilts, pretty vintage hats and bags hang carelessly from handles,knitted blankets lie in baskets and floral tea towels are draped over the oven door.It is indeed a hotchpotch of a house, but it is here where we talk, eat,sleep and dream,it is here where my babies are safe and loved.

Early one morning....I creep downstairs,quite alone.... all is right with the world, and God in his Heaven sings.   

Insomniac

Insomniac

There are some nights when sleep plays coy, aloof and disdainful. And all the wiles that I employ to win its service to my side are useless as wounded pride, and much more painful. Maya Angelou

Ever had one of those days?

Somebody tell me there is life outside these four walls!

Yes....I am on a rant, its a good job I am not premenstrual as well otherwise I would have killed somebody before now! probably the Postman for going on strike last week when clearly I am awaiting books from Amazon, what am I supposed to read in bed tonight?

Its my own fault, I went on a mammoth clearing out and cleaning whilst listing stuff on ebay and cooking at the same time kinda day, only to allow myself outside to taxi my offspring to various locations, but too much! I cant do it all! why did I not just tackle one thing today another tomorrow etc.? not because I am some multi tasking superwoman, but because I am sadly not a domestic Goddess after all, so I try and do it all at once to get it out of the way, therefore freeing up the rest of the week for more leisurely pursuits, like...say...Shopping!

Well, you cant really blame me can you? after all I bet nobody ever laid on their deathbed and said" Oh how I wish I had spent more time cleaning the toilet!"

Now theres a thought!

Finding Bliss......

Bliss.......

Bliss......

Bliss......

Where do you find your bliss?