and it burns burns burns

So today we went to the museum and ended up making elephant ear masks and investigating Romans as first born is in the zone at the moment, and this made a nice change from building roman buildings out of balsa wood.

Here are the action shots of Thors cave and the amount of uphill they managed, boy it was beautiful, when can we go again.????

The flames burn up higher

It was good fun, especially as younger sibling got absolutely caked in mud, and to her credit walked solidly for two hours or more, much of it up very steep paths, only requiring small uppies near the end. It was very very good to be out in the Peak District again, and in a bit we haven't been to that much. Here's hoping the weather this summer is slightly more clement this year and we can go back and camp.

Down down down

We went a walking with some friends, there was picnic, ice cream and outstanding natural beauty, all along the Manifold Valley and then we climbed up to Thors Cave, then we climbed up on top, which was very high up, and very beautiful.

As you can see there we all are, very high up, and first born's rather grubby bottom, which was all about scrambling about in the cave. Rather a superior sort of adventure really.

I fell into a burning ring of fire

Remember Rosie? The kangaroo? Well here's her mate Frank, he spent the weekend with us, that's him sitting on a stone head in Mesnes Park. e went out with grandad and decided a stroll in the park might be nice, plus there were swings ( see below), then of course it was time to head for the pub.

The landlady from the Cherry Gardens has moved up the road to the Boars Head, which is a very ancient pub complete with beams and dangerous split levels, oh and a bowling green round the back. Good news is that her new chef does a very nice line in food, good balance between resuarant and pub, fab chips and all things home made, very very nice. Plus, as the land lady knows us from the days when grandad and Sheila used to go to the Cherry, she brought over Connect Four and gave Frank his very own beer mat to stick in his adventure book. Looking back it doesn't seem as if Frank gets out to the pub much so thats nice.

I think it's your mind.

He got home safely, and it didn't rain too much, nor did his tent get blown away so that was good. First born had a lounge about weekend, besides the trip round to play with her friend, though they had problems when the walkie talkies they were playing with kept tuning into someone else's radio too.

Younger sibling took her Introductory Modern exam and was suitably unimpressed about the whole thing, then went to see Hannah Montana at the pictures with some friends. They do grow up very quickly.

Here she is in her favourite spot, on the trampoline. There was a rather nervous interlude when she kept getting shocks as she got off, so we changed the arrangements round and things seem better earthed now. Many happy hours spent out there. Bouncy bouncy.

What's the ugliest part of your body?

Well, pater has gone off to the park to camp out and enjoy the NABD rally 2009. This will entail looking at lots of trikes, drinking beer, listening to bands in tents, drinking beer, eating porridge, snoring in a tent, drinking beer and watching stand up, in a tent.

He hopes to buy the T-shirt " I only did it for the parking space" for our mate Martin, brave man Martin. We hope he locates his head torch, and finds someone with milk, as he left his in the fridge at home. Ah well.

We do hope that the rather wired friend he took with him manages to calm down during the weekend. That their tents don't blow away and that it doesn't hail too often. We hope he does manage to find his tent again at bedtime, not like last year.

Here at the homestead, there will be more dance exams, and scampi for tea. Perhaps we shall have apple crumble for his homecoming.

Give me what is mine

Here we go with a spare day out. Some of the mums got together to enjoy the play area, eat a picnic and finally give in and admit that Heather the weather was right and it would be raining at 1pm. Younger sibling and her bestest buddy enjoyed a bit of rushing round, these swings are really tricky to get going.

These boys ended up wrapped up in the rug as the wind got up big time. Nice thing is we are all friends cos we all have one in year 1 and one in year 4, and although the allegiences change abit, it can be fairly certain that everyone has someone to play with.

Cool.