Cake, and cake

We've just got back from a weekend at Rob's parents.  We had a lot of cake.  
Betsy wanted to decorate a cake so she and Rob bought provisions, and Granny helped her to do it.

Later, Rob's mum and I escaped by ourselves.  I wanted to go to Dunelm Mill to be a cushion for the cover I crocheted, and she wanted to take me to the Emma Bridgewater factory shop. It's one of the very few potteries left in Stoke On Trent.  It's in a beautiful old industrial building.

The shop was crammed full of bright and cheery things.  Mugs, plates, tea towels, bowls, tea pots, fabric.  Spots, hearts, dogs, birds.  This was the seconds shop, so it sells the things that aren't entirely perfect.  Good enough for me though!

There is a cafe at the shop too.  All the cups and plates and teapots are - unsurprisingly - Emma Bridgewater.  The cake was excellent.  I had red velvet, aka beetroot.  It was the most beautiful shade of red.  Mave had carrot cake, which looked equally as good.

We admired a huge aga that was in the cafe, near our table.  It was three times the size of a normal aga, and painted white with the trademark Emma Bridgewater spots.  While we were chatting, a man came over and opened one of the doors and to our surprise there was a cake baking inside.  We had both assumed it was just decorative, but it is a working oven making cakes for the cafe!  Amazing.

I really liked two posters on the wall.  I'm not sure if they are vintage or vintage-stylee, and I hope they're up in the working bit of the factory.

We had even more cake in the evening, a little smarties one for Betsy's birthday.  
It's all go now for the next few days - a morning at a hawk centre, visit to the doctors for Meg, Betsy's birthday, a party, pony riding.  I'm exhausted thinking about it....

Catching up with myself

It's been a busy few days.  We went to Granny and Grandad's for the weekend.
Betsy took her amazing families (aka Sylvanian Families!) and played with anyone who sat still long enough.  Granny, Grandad, Sara and Steve all got to play at various points over the weekend, and Betsy was very happy.

Freddie took the Wii so was mostly found on the sofa.  He did have the odd break for cricket in the garden, or a game of Subbuteo with Rob.  As usual, it was Freddie rules with the set up on the pitch...

Betsy and her auntie were cooking up secret Mothers Day plans on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.  The result was a homemade arctic roll and Mothers Day flag!  So sweet, and delicious.

We got back on Sunday evening, and Meg has been under the weather since then.  
Monday the sun was out, and Meg was miserable.   I took the executive decision to wrap her on my back and go for a short walk.  It was absolutely the best thing to do.  We were only out for an hour, but we saw lots of things and all enjoyed the sun on our faces.
We walked the tow path to the supermarket.   Freddie pointed out the reflections on the wall of the bridge.

Meg was interested in the birds flying overhead.

We saw half a dozen ducks flying along the canal.

Two contractors were measuring the depth of the canal, to see if the water needed more dredging.  One of them told us that a few locks up, a 300 metre pound has lost all water and is completely dry.  I think we'll go and find it one day soon, it sounds too interesting to miss.
The kids threw sticks into the lock, and over to the bank on the other side.  There was a duck in the lock today, way down at the bottom.

The next bit of tow path was full of sticky muddy puddles.  

When we got home, the kids decided to wash their scooters.  They found a couple of sponges and a bucket of water, and did a great job!

Meg seemed to be feeling rough after we got home, and went to bed before lunch.  Betsy wanted to decorate a cake so we did that after we'd eaten.  She helped make the buttercream icing, spread it on the cake, and add the decorations.  It was fun, and she was so pleased with the result.

The day went quite badly after this.  Meg was very unhappy, and Freddie and Betsy were bored.  I was pinned to the sofa with a lethargic baby.  Rubbish afternoon.
Today has been nearly as challenging.  Meg is feeling better but I'm suffereing from the effects of very disturbed sleep for the last 4 nights.  I'm a bit loopy, actually, and out of patience. 
I did help Betsy to make some spring flowers, but that is the high point.  

 So, dinner and CSI.  Then  hopefully some sleep tonight zzzzzzzzzz........

Getting over the pox

Whoof it's been a long few days. Freddie was superduper rough on Wednesday. He was a lot better on Thursday but a long way from right. He was up for more than lying on the sofa though. So, we had playdough, a Kung Fu Panda comic, a Peppa Pig board game and some Jarvis time
.

On Friday it was our darling Meg's 1st birthday. I can't quite believe this, but there it is.

The day wasn't what I had planned (Bucks Goat Centre, or Whizz Kids if it was wet). The kids opened her presents. We made her some felted balls.


Mum came over, and Tor and Jarvis, and we had cake.


We'll give her a birthday day out another time, when all chicken pox has left the house.

On Saturday morning we had some rare visitors to the front garden. We live next to the canal, but have had ducks come by only a couple of times. Today we had 6! They beetled around the place for a while, eating the shrubs and the seeds that have fallen from bird feeder.

They were scared away by a dog. We had really enjoyed watching them.

Today Rob went to allotment. He was there for a couple of hours, and came back laden down with serious goodies. Carrots, spinach, chard, red onions and strawberries. Amazing.

I made lunch - the small spinach and chard leaves for salad, some red onion, shop-bought tomatoes (fresh and sundried), cucumber, feta cheese. So delicious.



Strawberries for pudding!


It was so hot today. The kids played in the paddling pool, without bubbles then with bubbles.

Later we danced around to Paolo Noutini. Happy days!