Tea party

This is what the EFG did for me for Mothering Sunday at lunchtime when we came home from church - "Mum's teaparty" on the buns!

There was tea as well, and a candle lit - and my huge "Best Mum in the World" mug too!

It was a very special surprise for me.

The other end of the day

My eyes are on matchsticks and my feet ache!

I have had to send a couple of emails, but I am off to get in the bath and head to bed now. Night all!

Early morning - bleary eyed

Good morning friends! I am up very early as I have a babysitting favour to do for a friend this morning: she has to take her mother to hospital for 7am, so I am going to her house at 5.50am to look after her children and get them to school at 8.30am in case the traffic holds her up, and to save the children having to go out at this time of the morning.......I am just sitting here with a cup of tea, coming round!

Today is looking very fragmented already:

babysitting job until 8.30am, home to let out the chooks and hang the washing, meeting at school at 10am, home for lunch, back to school for 1.30pm for a quick chat, home again probably, then the shortlisting for the HT job at 3.30pm for as long as it takes, then gymnastics till 8pm. It is going to be a very in-and-out kind of day, and I will be ready for my bed by 9pm tonight, I am sure.

I have packed the lunches for the girls and have to wake the EFG up just as I am going out the door to do something to her hair for her, then she will probably doze until 7am, when I will ring them to make sure they are both getting up. They will be fine to get themselves out of the door by 8am then.

Hope you all have a good day, and I will try to pop back later!

Incubator

A lovely lady from Northern Ireland has asked for info about my incubator....I haven't forgotten! I got it out of the shed yesterday, and it needs a thoroughly good clean before I can take photos of it, so I'll aim to get those done today, and then the post will follow shortly for you! Thanks for asking.

In the meantime, here is a link to information about mine, and I do believe I bought it from the company I have linked to. I thought I bought it from Ascott Smallholding Supplies, but they don't stock it, and I remember having a large box delivered on its own, so it was probably this!! I bought my lamps for brooding the chicks from Ascott, and leg rings, and a humidity gauge as well, so they are a mine of useful bits and pieces for chicken keepers.

On Mothering Sunday in the evening

It's still Sunday, just - and I have had a lovely day with my girls and family. The church services went off well, and then we came home to find that the EFG had made cakes and prepared a tea party for me. She took a photo for me of how she had arranged the table - it was just lovely! I'll share the picture when she emails it to me. Tea and cakes was actually lunch!

In the afternoon, I pootled around a little; the YFG and I cut the front lawn, I looked at the chooks, my dad and MB came over and had a cup of tea with us and told us about their last holiday. I saw the end of Nigel Slater's programme, missed Guy and his boat completely, watched some of Countryfile, ate our tea and then I had a snooze! We've got the girls off to bed, watched Lewis on ITV + 1, and so here I am, just turning things off and putting the ironing away on my way to bed!

I've had a few moments to think about my own mother, and the YFG was asking what life would be like if she was still here. Quite different, probably! I lit a candle for her today, and one for Merry.

On Mothering Sunday in the morning

Here I am again - having a first cup of tea, reading some blogs, checking some emails, reading through the service I am delivering at 11am, and enjoying the peace and quiet!!

We are having, from today, additional monthly services, just on that first Sunday of the month, at 11am. The existing 9.30am service will be led by the preacher on the plan, and then people who can't be there at 9.30am can come along at 11am and they will have to make do with me. I have put together a service [my tenth - I have just counted them up in the book] which is more for adults than children, but if any children turn up, there are bits in it that can be adapted, but for which I shall have to rely upon the YFG to help me! We are going to the 9.30am service first ourselves, and then we shall have to get things sorted out for the second service....the FH has to go and fetch one older lady who would like to attend but needs transport. Even if we start small today, I hope it will grow throughout the year.

If you are reading this early, think of me at 11am and wonder as I am doing now, whether I will be facing a congregation of 3 (older lady, FH and YFG) or more!!

Remembering Freddie and his family today

Today I am thinking about a family I know. Their fifth child, a boy, was born last year on the 2nd April, so today would have been his first birthday. And therein lies the pain - Freddie lived for only 11 days. You can read his story on Merry's blog - a few days ago she asked that his name be spoken today, and his life remembered and I want to honour him and his family by doing that here for them all.

I know Merry and her daughters from when we used to home educate, and although I haven't seen them much over the past five years or so, I do follow Merry's blog and have enjoyed watching her daughters grow up through the window that the internet affords us. We all send them much love today and always.