Winter rambling

I felt in good spirits this morning. I do love Sundays! Lazy relaxed days that have no definite beginning and usually cosy ends. Sundays in Winter seem the most special ones of all. I love nothing more than pottering about at home bundled up in a rather hotch potch mix of snuggly clothes, getting stuff done. No school work, no groups ....bliss!

This morning I was the first one up and after busying myself with the mundane 'must do's' for an hour or so, I felt the desperate urge to go out and experience the sunshine that was beaming in through the kitchen window. Amazingly, when I asked if anyone would like to join me, one child rather enthusiastically agreed! He also rather to my surprise, wanted to bring a tape measure with him so that he could catch oysters and measure them. Well of course, not wanting to quash the faintest hint of a maths activity, even on a weekend, I happily agreed and waited patiently for him to gather up his things.
I should have known......said oyster catching activity was in fact The Boy's plan to have me take him fishing!

It was freezing cold this morning and just the perfect morning to be out and about whilst wrapped in warm layers. The lake was mostly frozen over which added to the excitement. Even Jenny dog was pleased to be out, she ran off and found a pile of stinky poop to rub her neck in.......



The Boy is really quite responsible these days so after a short while of interested observations on my part, I was able to stroll off around the lake to admire the beauty of the light as it enhanced the incredible colours and created stunning reflections on the ice. I marvel at the beauty of this amazing place every time I walk here and thank my lucky stars that I have access.

Jenny dog is pretty good at staying close by as an elderly lady of ten, she used to be a total pain in the butt and run off chasing anything that moved as a youngster. Today she thought it rather fun to disturb the birds that were resting in the reeds by the waters edge and almost had her comeuppance as a result. I was almost all the way round when she thought she'd try walking on the ice. Silly dog! That horrid moment of thought that crosses your mind ......thankfully all was well!

The Boy was most excited upon my return to announce that he had caught a perch. A teeny weeny one but nether the less a fish :-)

*Fish was returned to the water unharmed.

Snot!

I was only thinking the other day, how lucky my children are to rarely suffer with illness. Whilst friends around us seem to be succumbing to everything that goes, we seem to somehow manage to escape things in the main. It always happens though doesn't it, those moments of thought inevitably lead to a bout of something yucky. 
Since two weeks before Christmas we have been trying desperately hard to avoid all ills so as not to scupper our holiday plans. The essence of a stomach bug crept in in early December but luckily only one child was affected and that was very brief. Fortunately all were fit and well during our mini break to Shropshire and during our ten day ski trip.
This week however, The Boy has been hit by the Common Cold and it's bad!
I wouldn't say Man Flu bad; he hasn't been complaining or overly reaping the benefits of my caring nature. Poor boy has however been really bunged up and coughing like a trooper. What has been really funny though is that throughout his ordeal, he's been giving us a frequent running commentary of his ails. It's gone a lot like this......

Day 1: 'Mum, I've blown a whole mugful of snot out this morning!'

Day 2: 'I'll tell you what happens at night....this crispy stuff forms a layer across my nostrils (notrils in blocked nose language) and that stops all the snot from pouring out'.

'I had to empty my pile of snotty tissues into the bin at midnight last night as it was sooo big!'

The Boy produced a very large 'bogie-looking' piece of some jelly stuff which he proceeded to tease the girls with for the best part of an hour!

Day 3: Me: Lightly touches boy on the head whilst he sleeps as he hadn't been coughing all night. 'How are you feeling today?'

'It's gone! I didn't have to empty my snot pile into the bin!'

School work was suppose to resume this week and for two out of three it did. In the world of The Boy THIS....is what constituted work!



How angelic....he made a quill out of a goose feather......

and then.......

Boy's will be boy's!