31/08/2010 - Day 65

Cousins back together again!  Alf and I have come over to Worcester to stay with my Mum for the rest of the week.  It has been a lovely sunny day, and my Sister came for lunch with her youngest two.  Here they are, dining al fesco!

30/08/2010 - Day 64

Another trip to Attenborough Nature Reserve.  Today was lovely and sunny, if a little chilly.  There was a definite feel of Autumn getting ever closer.  I was still largely uninspired, and have concluded that wild life photography is absolutely not my thing!  I neither have the interest in the subject, or the patience to wait for it to turn up!  I enjoyed the walk and sunshine though and Mr B enjoyed teaching Alfie the names of different birds.  The Alfster enjoyed the iced donut back at the cafe afterwards, so all is well with the world!

29/08/2010 - Day 63

I've finally got round to framing some of my photographs.  I have bought several frames and have started filling them.  The frames are all up (thanks Mr B!), with a few empty ones waiting for me to be inspired!  This one I've filled with some of the images taken at Nottingham Country Cricket Club during the Notts Outlaws T20 campaign this summer.  I can't help smiling every time I look at this.  Memories of warm sunny evenings at Trent Bridge :-).  

It is such a shame that cricket has been in the news for all the wrong reasons today.  I really do hope that the investigation goes deeper than just sacking the three individuals currently being investigated.  If the rumours of threats and intimidation of players is true, then getting rid of a few players is not going to stop this from happening again.  I feel so sad for the game; for the players who give everything, for the fans who pay good money to watch, and for Pakistan who have far bigger problems than this at the moment.  I suspect this story will run for some time yet.  It could be an interesting week.......

28/08/2010 - Day 62

This is the view from Trent Bridge.  We went to the Riverside Bar and I snapped this with my little compact camera (oh yes, even on a night out my camera comes too!).  I hadn't realised how lovely Trent Bridge was all lit up at night.  I'll definitely have to return with my DSLR and tripod in an attempt to do proper justice to this scene.

27/08/2010 - Day 61

I took the Alfster to visit his Great Nans stone today.  It was the first time I had taken him.  It prompted lots of questions from him........... Is Great Nan under there?  What do ashes look like?  What is a cremation?  Will I have to be cremated?  How do you get cremated?  What is a service?  What is a vicar (Ooops, think his Religious education may be lacking!)  Why don't you want to be buried?  Are you allowed to scatter ashes anywhere?  Did you cry when Great Nans ashes were buried?  It seems Alf has suddenly got to that age where he is thinking abit more about what you tell him and trying to make a bit more sense of the world around him.  He gave me two great quotes today though.......... Alf "I want to be buried when I die" Me "Whys that?"  Alf "because skeletons in coffins are cool"!!!  And "I've got a feeling that Great Grandad is going to get so old, he will be the oldest man alive"!!

26/08/2010 - Day 60

These are my new boots.  It might still be August, but its no weather for sandals today.  So a trip into town (sans the Alfster - yippie!!) was in order.  Hopefully that will do the trick and the weather will change to being hot and sunny now, but just in case, at least I can be warm!

25/08/2010 - Day 59

Its Jack again!  Here he is packed up and on his way to Leeds Festival.  Leeds isn't his first festival, as he has been with us to Glastonbury before, but this is his first festival with his mates.  He had a good home cooked meal before he left. He has taken plenty of pot noodles and other easy cook foods for while he is there!  I think I had better get another hearty meal ready for Monday, along with lots of hot water and a fresh bed!

24/08/2010 - Day 58

Here's my GCSE brainbox!  Well done Jack on your great results.

23/08/2010 - Day 57

Alf and I went to Attenborough Nature Reserve today.  I thought he could run off some energy splashing in puddles, and I could take some photos.  Unfortunately things didn't quite work out like that.....

Alfie wore his wellies and waterproof trousers, and ran straight for the biggest muddyest puddle he could find, and started jumping up and down in it.  The water went straight over the top of his wellies, leaving him with soaking wet feet, and soaking his trousers under his waterproofs! He squelched the rest of the way round.

On the photography front, I was lacking in inspiration.  It was grey and overcast by the time I got there.  The fauna and flora is in that uninteresting stage where the colours have all faded out and they are dying back, but haven't yet turned golden and brown. So here are a few unpicked blackberries.  About the only thing of slight interest I found!

22/08/2010 - Day 56

What a beautiful day!  Just when it looks like Summer has up and left, we get a glorious day.  So we made the most of it and went for a walk in Sherwood Forest.  Its good to get out of the city, and have some fresh air, and quiet (or as quiet as it gets with a 7 year old!!).  The walk was made all the more enjoyable by the coffee and slice of Victoria Sponge that had my name on it when we arrived back at the Cafe.  Sundays are really made for days like today.

21/08/2010 - Day 55

Photography can be so frustrating at times.  There was a fantastic spiders web in our garden with beautiful raindrops looking like jewels hanging from it.  I went out with my camera and tripod, realised it needed a dark background to show it up, found something dark to put behind it, set up camera, just about to start snapping, and the heavens opened and I had to abandon because of rain!  I went back out after the shower, and the beautiful raindrops were no longer there - aarrgghh!!!  So here are some raindrops that landed on our phormium instead!

20/08/2010 - Day 54

And down came the rain.  And it rained, and rained and rained. This is the view from our back door into the garden.  Only two more weeks of the kids summer holidays, and then the better weather will arrive!  Until then, I'll keep my brolly with me, and start my plans for an ark!

19/08/2010 - Day 53

Congratulations to Daisy.  Straight A's for her AS exams.  The results are well deserved as she works really hard.  Here she is showing me her results outside the Nottingham Contemporary where we went for celebratory lunch.

18/08/2010 - Day 52

You'll remember seeing the box (sorry, I mean the Time Traveller 1000), so here are the flowers.  Beautiful! (thanks Mum!)

17/08/2010 - Day 51

I've washed, scrubbed, polished, bleached, soaked, wiped, emptied, refilled, brushed, until my kitchen shined and gleamed, my cupboards are clean, tidy and well stocked, and I collapsed shattered with a glass of wine!  Here is the end result!

16/08/2010 - Day 50

The Time Traveller 1000 is complete!  Yes its that box again, but now it has had a paint job and been covered in glitter and stickers.  This box has given Alfie so much fun in the last couple of days.  It just shows that even in todays age, kids still enjoy simple pleasures!

15/08/2010 - Day 49

We went for a walk in the Vale of Belvoir.  What a very pretty part of the country.  Here is Belvoir Castle.

14/08/2010 - Day 48

Mum sent a beautiful bouquet of flowers to Mr B and me for our anniversary.  They weren't just any old flowers, they were Marks and Spencers flowers!  The box they arrived in doubled up perfectly as a time machine for a seven year old with a vivid imagination!  Here he is on his way to dinosaur planet! 

13/08/2010 - Day 47

Friday 13th 2004 Mr B made me his wife.  Friday 13th 2010 Mr B spoilt me rotten.  What a lovely wonderful man I married.

12/08/2010 - Day 46

Poor Ozzie.  Ozzie is the family pet of my Sister and Brother In Law.  He went for a rather delicate operation today, and came back from the vet feeling a little sorry for himself.  I don't think the cone was doing his street cred too much good either!

11/08/2010 - Day 45

Todays offering is a picture of summer fun.  Alfie and his cousins enjoyed a day of playing in the water at the new splashpad at Gheluvelt Park in Worcester.  They played for hours in the water, coming back to us to graze now and again!  Its what summer is all about!

10/08/2010 - Day 44

I'm sure it must be only us British that would picnic in the rain!  We went to the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail, but on arrival it was pouring down!  Not to be down hearted, we found a big tree to shelter under, tucked into a hearty picnic lunch, and then made our way around the forest.  We walked for about 4 hours, which was a great feat for so many little legs!  The little ones had lots of fun and we arrived back to the car park in glorious sunshine!  Early nights all round tonight!

09/08/2010 - Day 43

I'm in Worcester this week.  Alf and I have come to stay with my Mum for a few days.  Alfie is quite nervous of dogs so this is quite something to have him relaxed and enjoying Dexters company, along with his big cousin Callum.  They obviously all got the memo to tell them to dress in black and white!

08/08/2010 - Day 42

What a fantastic reason to have a teenage daughter - she can bake!  Daisy is very talented at cake making, something she doesn't get from me!  And yes, they do taste as good as they look!

07/08/2010 - Day 41

Some times the best things in life are the simple things, like playing cricket in the park.........

06/08/2010 - Day 40

Day 5 of Family week, and today we went bowling.  I'm usually pretty rubbish at bowling to be honest, and in the first game I pretty much proved that point.  I was joint winner of the second game though so maybe there is hope yet!  After bowling we went to The Nottingham Contemporary to visit their photo booth.  You can see the result here.  We then had lunch at Cafe.Bar.Contemporary  If you get to go, we can all highly recommend their Fish and chips and American Soda Floats.  Neither will do the figure much good, but both are good for the soul!  Another fun day had by all, and now I'm being dragged away for a night of Sing Star.  Poor neighbours!

05/08/2010 - Day 39

Alfie makes photo of the day for the second day running!  Its day 4 of Family week, and today we went to Birmingham to the Sea Life Centre and for lunch at the Handmade Burger Company.  To save taking two cars, Rich took the older 3 in the car with him, and Alf and I caught the train.  While we were at the Sea Life Centre Alfie had his face painted as a ghoul, hence the make up in the photo!  The Tardis wasn't at the SLC, but in the lobby of the BBC, which we passed in the Mail Box on the way to the train station.  That made his day, even though he pointed out it was the old Tardis, and not the one currently used by Matt Smith!  Another day enjoyed by all.  A hit!

04/08/2010 - Day 38

Day 3 of Family week, and of course the great British Summer meant that we needed to revert to plan C.  We were going to have a day in Sherwood Pines, but the rain put paid to picnic, walk and ball games.  So plan B was to do what we had planned for Friday and then todays plans would happen on Friday instead.  However on checking the forecast, more of the same is on the cards for Friday, so say the chaps at the Met Office.  So plan C was created, we decided to go to the Galleries of Justice instead.  Alfie had been asking to go for ages, so he was more than happy at the change of plan.  He was absolutely terrified and clung on to me all the way round!  After he calmed down, we strolled down the road to the Nottingham Contemporary.  The kids loved the Cafe (they weren't quite so excited by the art!).  All of the boys (including the big ones) had American Cream Soda floaters.  We are planning to head back there on Friday, to have our photo taken in the worlds largest photo booth.  Until then, a trip to Birmingham tomorrow for fishy fun and burgers!

03/08/2010 - Day 37

Day 2 of Family week, and today we went to Twycross Zoo.  No, this isn't a picture of Mr B.  This is a yawning Sea Lion!  Lots of fun had by all, and Alfie so tired he went to bed at 6pm, and Carter followed him at 7.  Thats what I call a successful day!

02/08/2010 - Day 36

Its day one of our 'family week'.  Today we all had afternoon tea together (at Daisys request), but for lunch!  Then time for some Mario  Kart before heading off to the flicks to watch Toy Story 3.  Yep it was a good film, but I'm not sure it was quite up to the hype.  I managed not to blub like a baby, but I certainly welled up and had a lump in my throat!  That was soon forgotten though when we walked over the road to Frankie and Bennys.  Alfie and Carter managed to keep us all entertained between courses (actually, Alfie did during courses too!).  So I think day one has been successful with all kiddies enjoying themselves.

01/08/2010 - Day 35

Day 4 of the Test Match, and the final day.  I've really enjoyed my time helping the media chaps at Trent Bridge again.  Apart from the fact that the staff are all so friendly and welcoming, the 'perks' for being there are great.  Today I got to have a chat with Aggers whilst handing out gift packs and a few words with Mark Nicholas.  Michael Vaughan was in the Channel 5 Studio while we were there.  He had a look to see what we were delivering, but had nothing to say!  My highlight today though was being able to attend the press conference after the match.  Andrew Strauss speaks clearly and with conviction like a true leader.  Jimmy Anderson looked like a rabbit caught in headlights.  I was really surprised to see just how terrified he was.  He is obviously far more comfortable on the field!  I was very impressed with how Salman Butt handled himself.  He spoke in excellent English, and answered questions honestly, calmly and looked every bit like captain material.  I do hope that Pakistan can come back and make more of a game of it at Edgbaston on Friday.  The picture shown was taken while helping direct members of the press over to the press conference.  The members of the England team on show were watching the presentation and interviews being held at the end of the game.  A couple of well earned beers being sunk there!