Magic Beans

January Scavenge

2012-02-01T13:48:00.006Z

On time and complete! It must be a first for me in the photo scavenge.

Information

Company in SmallerBean's bed

Warning

Distance (King's College Chapel)

In season

Odd

Entrance

Soft. A bit of haircut for SmallerBean

Blur

Two (of the biggest and brownest eyes I have ever stared into)

My bathroom

Mess

(Yet again Blogger spacing has gone bananas. Will try to edit this so it makes a bit more sense.)

Clay

2012-01-11T11:16:00.000Z

I think I know myself fairly well.

And I think I am quite realistic about the things I can and can't do. I am practical and can use what is at hand to fix or mend things. I can't sing. No. I definitely can't do that. I hate following instructions and am rubbish at any sort of paperwork. I dread it when BigBean says 'Have you seen the bill for...?' I hate being wrong but I know I am fairly often. I have a good eye for colour. I am fickle. And I am good at making fiddly little things- jewellery, papier mache, modroc owls (don't ask), in fact, crafty nasties in general.

So it has been a huge source of frustration to me that I have never got on well with silver clay. I have tried. I have tried again. And then I gave up.

But my stubborn streak got the better of me and just before Christmas I ordered some more clay and paid attention to the instructions and got busy.

I made a large disc with a tiny cookie cutter.

The teeny discs were made with a straw and I stamped out initials in them with SmallBean's printing kit.
Then I strung them onto a chain but didn't fix them to a link. I left each little disc and gem pairing so they could move freely along the chain. I'm still not sure if I will keep them like that- I might fix them so they don't swing along and then bunch up.

So. I proved to myself that it is possible to read instructions and not hate what you are doing. And I have made myself a new necklace that I haven't taken off since December 19th.

Pie

2012-01-03T10:34:00.003Z

We have been so spoilt here this Christmas, not just with presents, but with the amount of time we have spent together as a family- hanging out, going for walks, eating every meal together, seeing friends and family and enjoying spending time at home with no pressure to Do Stuff.

So it was with a heavy heart that BigBean settled down to his last evening before going back to work. After we had eaten supper (Why are we eating? Surely we don't need to eat another morsel until at least January 23rd.) I had a sudden and rather generous idea to make BigBean a pasty/pie for his packed lunch with the leftover chicken stew. There were two reasons for this generous spirit. One- I couldn't refreeze the leftovers as they had only just come out of their icy hole and two- we had no bread for sarnies. (We are in an Old Mother Hubbard situation here.) So at 9.30 (pm!!!!) I rustled up some suet crust and made a pie. A pasty.

And I felt like a really good wife.

And BigBean biked off to work feeling slightly less grumpy than he could have done.

He's on his way...

2011-12-24T22:06:00.002Z

Merry Merry Christmas.
Thank you for reading my ramblings.
Have happy times, Ali

Peace on earth and goodwill to all men???

2011-12-22T11:01:00.002Z

So much for Christmas Spirit.

SmallerBean has just rushed downstairs in search of her Lego folk.

Me: Are you and Small having a lovely game?
Smaller: Yes. One of the baddies is just going to be electrocuted.

Ho ho ho to you too.

Toot Toot Splutter Cough Cough....

2011-11-20T19:52:00.003Z

Well it just serves me right.
Blowing my own trumpet was never going to be a good idea.
SmallBean pointed out to me yesterday that there were two number 23's on the advent calendar.
I shouldn't have had that third glass of wine as I was drawing.

Toot Toot Tootoot

2011-11-17T13:17:00.008Z

Can you hear that?
Toot toot.
Do you know what it is?
I'll tell you.
It is the sound of me blowing my own trumpet.
Smug?
I sure am.
I went to a certain Never Knowingly Undersold shop yesterday and looked for an advent calendar. They were all revolting. And I didn't have the time to go anywhere else. (Well actually I did have time but Wednesday is my no kids day and I had a whole day and an empty house to get on with.)
I came back home with this book and flicking through it I saw an advent calendar to colour in each day.

Later on, my mind went back to the book, (which is now squirrelled away in the loft, ready for the week before Christmas) and I thought that I could do a similar sort of calendar. I have card. I have a black pen. I can draw, sort of.

So I made one and I am veryvery pleased with it. Look.

Can you now see why my trumpet has been blowing? I did have a few probs getting twenty four symbols of Christmas that I could actually draw- a satsuma is pushing it a bit, I feel. But as Small reminded me, FC once left him a banana so it could have been worse...

I can hear the arguments already though. Small is not going to want to colour angels. They are both going to want to colour FC. The snowflake is going to be sneered at.

But I am going to block their moans out. If they complain, I will colour it in.

Overheard in the kitchen II...

2011-11-12T13:06:00.002Z

Me to BigBean about work: x is going on a career break.

SmallBean: North Korea or South Korea?

Ooops

2011-11-05T21:39:00.003Z

Way back at the start of September I thought that a wee giveaway might be the kind of thing people might like for a pick-me-up to combat the back to school blues.

The blues must have been bad here at BeanTowers. I totally forgot about it.

So. With no further ado and with many many apologies, I announce the winner as ....................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................

Vintage Vicki!!!!

Well done my lovely. Please get in touch with me and I'll get the necklace off to you. Don't hold your breath though- as you have seen. I'm a smidge unreliable...

Thoth II

2011-11-04T12:33:00.011Z

The Egyptian Gods have favoured me...
The papier mache covered balloon didn't pop.
The papier mache didn't stick to the balloon when I deflated it, realising I hadn't put any Vaseline or oil on it before I started sticking.
The cereal box worked well for an ibis beak. And it stuck without wobbling off. Hooray for Copydex!
I had blue material in the box in the loft.
There was black spray paint in the shed which hadn't run out.
Thoth was reincarnated...

And off he went to school today in the torrential rain. (Why is it that it always rains on dressing up days???) We met Cleopatras, Tutankhamuns, mummies and cats. There were Howard Carters aplenty. And Thoth.

I hope he doesn't scare the pants off the reception children...

Thoth

2011-11-02T10:59:00.007Z

Hot on the heels of Halloween is Year 3 Egyptian Day.

After spending half term in Muddy Scotland (with a ton of washing stilll being dealt with) sorting and sourcing Halloween costumes was a bit of a struggle. However, we got there and went out terrorising the neighbours as a Vampire and a Scary Fairy.

Now I find myself in the kitchen with a bowl of flour and water and torn up newspaper making a headdress for Small to wear on Friday.

'Mummy, I think I'll be Thoth.'

'Isn't he an ibis?'

'Yes.'

'That will be quite hard to make- he has a long beak doesn't he?'

'Yes. Mummy if that is too tricky, I'll be Anubis.'

Anubis is a jackal.

So I googled Thoth and realised that it could be done with one of those Venetian type masks. Off I trotted to the party shop. None left. Bloody Halloweeners had bought the entire stock.

So it's home made. The balloon covered with papier mache is being urged to dry NOW on the washing line so I can attach a beak, paint it and make a headdress to wear on Friday morning.

Will keep you updated on my state of mind and the costume.

I wish he'd gone as a mummy. But persuading him was futile.

'How would I go to the loo...?'

Blogblip Patchwork

2011-10-19T11:12:00.005+01:00

Morning.
I've been blog-dodging recently.
Life has got in the way a bit and other things have taken over.
And I have also been wondering what this whole blog malarkey is really all about. There is nothing deep or too analytical going on in my head, just a wonder. Is there any point in typing about something which noone really reads? Or cares about? But I think I have got over my blogblip and I am going to do a Ta-Dah.

Yes. I made something with the sewing machine. I love it. I am veryveryvery pleased with it. And I am feeling quite pleased with myself.

As you know (or not) my sewing skills are of the iffy variety. The sewing machine and I have a turbulent relationship. I don't like following instructions or being told what to do so patterns are a bit of a no no. But doing something off piste is also dodgy as it is Very Likely to Go Wrong.

I made a quilt. Well actually, that is a lie. I made the patchworky front of the quilt. I have no idea how to make it snuggly and backed so it can be put onto SmallerBean's bed. But after speaking (emailing) Driftwood last night I found myself thinking that I could blog about it and get over my blogblip and show off my not-so-enviable needlework.

You'll have to excuse the bad photography, not quite lined up rectangles and dodgy bright light/shadow combo, but whaddya reckon??? Pretty good for a first go, eh?

And then I spied this fellow on my way back into the house. Isn't the sky a fabulous colour? It goes quite well with my new patchwork...

Crush

2011-09-13T21:43:00.004+01:00

SmallerBean had her first swimming lesson last week and she LOVED it. It was just FAB watching her in the pool with five other Small People, splashing about, having fun and really listening to her teacher. Really making eye contact, taking in what MissusSwimmy ( let's just call her H) was saying and doing her utmost to follow the instructions. It was the first time I've seen or had the opportunity to watch Smaller in action in that sort of situation. She was a good pupil. I was very proud of her. (She was also quite fearless and scared me once or twice, diving down to pick up some stick thing.)

When we were on our way home, she asked endless questions about H, who happens to be a mumma up at SmallBean's school. Question after question. 'Why does H have girls?' 'Why is she a mummy?' 'Does H like swimming?' (Not always the brightest Bean...) 'Why is she going to be at school?' 'Where does H live?' 'Why was H wearing a t-shirt with writing on it?' etc etc. I switched off after a while. Stalking came to mind.

Up at school at pick up (no deer sighted recently) we saw H and Smaller had to go and say hello. And stare and stare. Stalking...?

Back at home at tea time, the marriage subject came up. 'Why do girls have to marry to boys mummy? Why can't girls marry to girls?' 'They can but usually girls marry boys.' 'I'm going to marry H then.'

Giveaway Update

2011-09-11T11:47:00.004+01:00

Have realised that I put no 'time up' date on the post for the Back To School Blues giveaway.

I'll do a random selection on Friday 16 September. If you put a link on your blog, I'll pop your name in twice.

I've Got The Back To School Blues...

2011-09-07T10:31:00.003+01:00

...and I can't help but cry.

I've got the back to school blues

And all I do is sigh.

Well. Not quite. But I am back to work (part time) after three years at home and I am a teeny bit nervous.

And there is that feeling of 'September' in the air. Are you feeling the blues too? You are?

So. To help everyone along, I thought a giveaway might be in order. Just to cheer up the mood.

How about some earrings?

Or a necklace?

Leave a little comment and what you'd like and I'll pull a rabbit, sorry, name out of the hat and send a Cheery September Parcel to someone.

PS. Sorry about the bad blues at the start.

PPS. This blogger spacing is really starting to annoy me.

Back Home

2011-08-29T21:43:00.008+01:00

Our dreamy week is over and we are back to earth with a bump.

Loch Fyne living was magical.

Highlights were

SmallBean catching ten mackerel. (He equalled my highscore of five on one line of feathers, twice.)

SmallerBean playing musical chairs with her Grandpa and Great Uncle. It truly had to be seen to be believed.

SmallBean learning to skim (or as he calls it, skin) stones.

Seeing amazing sunrises.

Watching a thunderstorm roll in towards us one evening and then standing out in the torrential rain.

Eating the most delicious scallops, langoustine and mussels and the mackerel for supper one night surrounded by family.

Watching the Beansprouts pottering on the beach, lifting stones and catching crabs.

Putting the frozen mackerel guts into the sea and waiting and watching the crabs fight over their tea. This is excellent spectator sport if you have a strong stomach.

Going to Carnasserie Castle for a walk- the view along Kilmartin Glen from the top is incredible.

And here are a few sneaks of the week.

Edit: I have been googling the caterpillar and it appears to be from an elephant hawk moth. The caterpillar feed on rosebay willow herb, which was growing along the lochside and the moths are becoming more common in Scotland. Fab stuff.

(Page from UK Moths used for reference.)

Overheard in the kitchen...

2011-08-15T12:42:00.002+01:00

SmallBean (getting the cereal out of the cupboard): Why have you got a packet of elastic bands in here?

Me: They're not elastic bands, they're noodles.

A Walk in the Woods

2011-08-01T08:46:00.013+01:00

Yesterday, the Beans packed up a picnic, the two hammocks and a camera and went off here, to Eversden Woods. These are ancient woodlands just near the Wimpole Estate, a National Trust property just south of Cambridge. We drove past the car park where the hoards were queueing to get in to see the amazing house, farm and gardens. (It is a wonderful day out, but not on a sunny Sunday.) We had a more peaceful adventure planned. Up the hill we drove and parked the car- not a soul in sight. And off we went. Just a solitary hare and a shrew were spied, but plenty of insects and plants. Smaller was not impresssed by the waspy interest in our picnic...
A day of wandering, thinking, chatting, looking, laughing, planning and playing.

Aplogies for bizarre spacing but blogger is not doing as it is told.

Freaky Balloon Moment

2011-07-28T14:55:00.001+01:00

I looked up from reading SmallerBean's bedtime story last night and spied this.

Recognise anyone?

Marge Simpson or what???

Seven

2011-07-18T10:11:00.006+01:00

Seven years ago today, this small person arrived.

For some reason, SmallBean turning seven has really shocked me. The time has flown so so fast. Why his seventh birthday is making me feel slightly melancholy and reflective I am not sure. I thought that your first childs tenth birthday was the one which hit you hard. Maybe it is the realisation that he is about to move up to KS2. Perhaps just having my birthday is making me more thoughtful. I don't know.

But he is not a dependent and needy boy any more. He is an interesting and funny, articulate and unique boy.

Happy Birthday Gorgeous Boy. Your cake is in the oven.

Listening

2011-07-10T19:13:00.007+01:00

Take a walk out into some green space.

Lie down on the grass for five minutes.

Close your eyes.

Listen.

distant cars

unknown flying beasties humming

children playing, bickering, laughing

breeze blowing the leaves of the huge oak

an aeroplane off to foreign lands

invisible grasshoppers chirruping

a cuckoo

the deep drone of a bumble bee

a pigeon cooing

a fly buzzing right by my ear
small birds high in the branches twittering to each other

twigs being snapped by faraway feet

pheasants chooking

What will you hear in your five minutes?

June Photo Scavenge

2011-06-30T17:14:00.013+01:00

On time.
Complete.
No cheating. (Well not really... as usual I've had to run around the house like a mad thing trying to fit the list.)

A farm animal- Smaller's gorgeous money box. I did want to use a photo of the Red Poll on the common but they were moved on while the fair was in town and haven't returned. As Smaller said 'Are they burgers now?'

Something beginning with z- my zebra print boots.

An elephant- on the Christening invitation for my new niece, Frankie.

A childhood memory- Woodland Snap. Do any of you remember Nubby Tope? Prettywigs Pattikins? Mrs Croak? I found these recently in a local toyshop and the SmallBeans love them as much as I did.

Branches- our mulberry tree in the garden.

Cutlery- I just opened the drawer and pressed the button to take the picture. I am quite impressed how shiny it is...

Cheese- doesn't last long in our house.

Something with the name of where you live on it- books from Cambridge University Press.

Wheel trim- on my trusty/rusty bike.

The view out of our front door.

Architectural detail- amazing brickwork in an old barn we really wanted to buy. But didn't. I'm still pining.

Night.

Muntjac: Take Two

2011-06-27T15:46:00.006+01:00

The freaky and slightly magic mushroom experience* of seeing a muntjac deer streak through the KS1 playground last week may not be so rare and unbelievable after all.

The brave thing decided to make a run for it during lunch playtime (according to SmallBean) and was last seen returning to the pond- a fenced off area out of bounds most of the time. Except it seems, to muntjac deer. He ran 'very, very, very fast. Faster than when he was trying to escape last week.' I think I would run very, very, very fast if I was running across the KS2 field with a bunch of Y2's shouting at me and pointing.

So. There we are. Most schools have gerbils. Or goldfish. Milton Road Primary has a deer. That is so Cambridge.

*I'm guessing about the magic mushrooms. I have no experience of magic mushrooms. Except that one Autumn a group of us went to Richmond Park to find some. We only found deer poo.

Seeing isn't always believing

2011-06-19T21:15:00.006+01:00

Imagine the scene...

3.15 on Friday aftenoon.

The sun is shining.

The school is a large primary in the centre of a city. 330 children. That equals a lot of people at pick-up time.

The playground is urban, well landscaped, green but surrounded by houses and the road isn't busy with traffic but there are parked cars and bicycles everywhere.

The children are all coming out of their classrooms.
Parents (mostly mummies) are standing round, chatting, hugging their children as they rush out.
Younger siblings are hanging off the climbing frames (not allowed but...) chasing each other and generally getting in the way of everyone collecting their scooters and bikes from the sheds.

Then suddenly there is a muntjac deer running through the crowds and desperately trying to find the exit. It hides momentarily in the hedge but then makes a bid for freedom out of the gate, dodging the scooters and book bags and disappears into the grounds of the education building next door.

Everyone in the playground is either standing with jaws dropped (no, not drawers) or saying 'What? Where? I don't believe you.'

And two days later, even though I saw the poor beastie with my own eyes, I still can't quite believe it either.

The Missing History Years

2011-06-08T16:21:00.007+01:00

I was suddenly aware that all was very quiet in our house. SmallerBean had disappeared and when you can't hear her it usually means that Something Has Happened.

Like blue biro on newly painted walls. Or sweet peas being mismanaged. Or Important Lego models being, well, remodelled.

I admit it. I panicked.

But I shouldn't have worried. All she was doing was rummaging through Small's box of dressing up and putting things on. In fact, she had put on everything.

She was a knightRobinHoodromanpirategladiatorviking.

Have you seen one of those before?

They are quite cute.

A bit of this...

...one of these...

...and this...

...topped off with one of those.

I think that the historians missed The KnightRobinHoodromanpirategladiatorviking Period. Or maybe they died out pretty fast- the fashion was quite hot. In fact, Smaller's comment during tea was 'I'm gettin' quite sweaty. I'm takin' off moy trousers.'

Henry Ford take two

2011-06-05T19:57:00.001+01:00

Ian Mankin. Heard of him? Fab tickings and stripes and checks abound in his shop and it is where I headed (online) when I started thinking about blinds for our new bath and bed room up in our newly converted loft. Commonly, and also contrarily, most grandly known here at BeanTowers as The Top Floor.

However. Trouble lay ahead. We have a problem with colour. We have nothing against colour but just with the choosing. If the charts and swatches had about five options, we would be well away. But they don't. Personally, I think Henry Ford had the right idea with the old 'You can have any colour you like as long as it's black.' Only here, it it Dulux white.

So I browsed and clicked and sent a wee message off to Mr Mankin, requesting a few samples. They arrived and I oohed and ahhed. Gorgeous little rectangles of thick beautiful fabric. But which to choose? Quite a decision as they are not cheap. And they have colour in them.

How about this one? Sagey. A bit too green I think.

This? Not too sure about the darker blue.

I think this could be it.

Definately not. Why did I pick this? So not me.

Pale grey ticking. Almost wins over the blue...

Too green again...

Mmm. Gaaaarrrgh. Which one???

I had a brainwave.

And to put the decision off, I got out the sewing machine and put the idea into reality. Want to see?

Like it? I am so pleased with myself that I'll show you another photo.

And no, it isn't for outside use (well not yet). It sits on our pew so that I can lean against it in the evening with my glass of wine.

And do you know which one I have chosen? None of them. I need someone to do it for me.

Blogger, I am here, yes, over here...

2011-06-03T22:29:00.004+01:00

Blogger has gone bonkers.

For some reason, it isn't recognising my existence when I try to comment on quite a few blogs.

I am trying to sort it.

Meanwhile, please know that I have found all recent posts very amusing/creative/ironic/poignant/awe-inspiring*

Back soon, Ax

*Delete as appropriate

May Photo Scavenge

2011-05-31T09:06:00.010+01:00

As usual, the end of the month has taken me COMPLETELY by surprise and I have had to rush to get these done. Some need a lot of artistic licence. Please give it to me- you know how disorganised I am by now, surely?

A bicycle- my trusty steed.

A black and white portrait- me at about two years.

An emergency vehicle

Something blue- this little beaker just jumped out at me as I walked past the bathroom earlier. We are rather stuck on blue here at BeanTowers so I was a bit spoilt for choice.

A butterfly. Made by SmallBean's friend.

A sign of the zodiac- Aquarius, the Water-Carrier.

Texture- my jumper

Think vintage- an old tin of my Granny's, now filled with old photos.

I am missing four. But if I don't post these, it will never get done. I promise I will finish the June Scavenge properly. Promise.

I Went Shopping...

2011-05-22T14:43:00.008+01:00

I went shopping and I bought a jug.

I went shopping and I bought a jug and a cooling rack.

I went shopping and I bought a jug, a cooling rack and a cake stand.

I should have left my wallet at home. I didn't need any of these things but they called. They cried. And the wee jug threw itself at my ankles and begged to leave its dusty shelf where it had been sitting for months.

So now they are Chez Bean. And mighty pleased I am too.

Apologies for the rubbish link to the shop- I couldn't find a good one anywhere.

Today

2011-05-03T17:02:00.006+01:00

May the fourth be with you.

Sorry. Couldn't help myself.

Flying

2011-05-03T11:11:00.005+01:00

March flew.
But during April I experienced some sort of time-travel. Just what did happen to the days? Our holiday here, in a wind pump on the Norfolk Broads seems a light year away.

Did I just imagine that we stayed in this magical place, where owls and herons were a common sight? And the watery world we lived in was a dream?

Easter seems to have vanished into thin air too. Eggs long scoffed,

our Easter breakfast outside in the garden a distant memory.

Wedding celebrations, BigBean's 40th, lazy long weekends and school holidays are all over.

I'm quite sad about getting back to normal.

But we've only got four weeks til half term.

It must be Easter...

2011-04-21T09:01:00.001+01:00

Children running around in the sunny garden, spraying water at each other, forget-me-nots a-plenty in the flower beds, chocolate eggs filling up baskets on the kitchen table and a spot of holiday baking. It's definately Easter.

Equations

2011-04-20T11:39:00.003+01:00

sb+f+npsps=vbtm

sb-SmallerBean
f-friend
npsps-newly planted (yesterday) sweetpea seedlings
vbtm- me, or in other words, very bad tempered mummy

Fun and games

2011-04-03T19:10:00.008+01:00

A wee while ago I had some cyber dialogue with driftwood and talk veered a little to the games the Smalls play here at BeanTowers. It made me think. These are the sort of games I remember playing with my sister when we were little and I really like the way that these sorts of things kind of go down in family history.

One game I remember playing with my sis I will not be explaining to the Beansprouts. It involved turning out the bathroom lights while we were having a bath and chucking wet flannels at each other. Inevitably the whole bathroom got drenched. But I don't ever remember being told off for doing this game. Either OldBean was blissfully unaware (g and t time?) or she didn't care. Anyway, I thought I'd share some of the Beansprouts games with you, giving them ratings out of five for danger, irritation to adult (ie me), hilarity, mess and duration. I tried finding suitable photos but mostly failed and of course since I started thinking about this post they have not played any of the games. Or the camera has been awol or out of juice. So apologies for a rather wordy read.

1. Dizzy Dogs
Spinning on the spot until you fall over.
Danger **** (particularly if the dishwasher door is open)
Irritation *** (when they are in the kitchen)
Hilarity ***
Mess * (unless a headcrackedopenonthedishwasher incident has occurred)
Duration*

2. Under The Covers
This is an early morning game which happens in Smaller's room as she is Not Allowed into Small's room. The BeanSprouts get into bed with every single soft toy they can find and anytime they hear anyone coming they shout 'Somebody's coming' and dive under the covers screaning and having a fit of the giggles. This game usually ends up with both Beans being naked. I don't ask.
Danger *** (often a head can be kicked in by a flailing foot)
Irritation * (unless I am woken up by crying before 7am)
Hilarity *****
Mess **** (clearing the toys away is a real pain at bedtime if you have forgotten this game has been played)
Duration*****

3. The Dog Game
Spread all the cushions on the sitting room floor. Tie a dressing gown belt around your brother's neck. Make him sit, bark, fetch an old baby rattle which doubles up as a bone and generally boss him about.
Danger ** (she's not so good at tying knots)
Irritation *
Hilarity ***
Mess **** (the cushions everywhere annoy me intensely)
Duration***

4. The Horsey Game
This is mostly played when they are bored of the Dog Game. Smaller suggests that she has a ride on Small as he is crawling round being a dog.
Danger **** (Small gets annoyed that he can't be the rider and stands up)
Irritation ** (unless there is an injury)
Hilarity ***
Mess *
Duration*

5. Deadly 60 in the garden
When I feel that the Sprouts Need Some Air, they get thrown out into the garden, often with much protest. However, this is usually one of the longest duration games they play together. The washing line is used to 'abseil' down the mulberry tree. The odd little playhouse is painted with water. Smaller talks the the green man at the end of the garden. Battles are fought with bows and swords.
Danger ***** I do keep an eye on them when the washing line is involved
Irritation
Hilarity ****
Mess
Duration*****

6. Hairdressers
This is a bath game. Nail brushes, toothbrushes (?) and flannels are used to do new do's on each other.
Danger * (unless you count scatches made by the nailbrush)
Irritation *
Hilarity *****
Mess *** (the water tends to leave the bath...)
Duration***

7. Dens Get all the pillows, blankets, duvets, cushions and rugs you can find and pile them up in a corner with all the softies available and hide. When your ma helps with some sheetage, all for the better.
Danger *
Irritation *** (this game mostly ends with the Sprouts falling out about how the game is played)
Hilarity ***
Mess ***** (have you ever known a 3 or 6 year old tidy up bedding????)
Duration*****

8. The Hammock Game
As with Under The Covers except played in the hammock in the garden.
Danger****(Smaller has a tendency to fall out)
Irritation*(unless softies are strewn about the garden and then it starts raining) Hilarity****
Mess**
Duration*****

9. Jelly Jelly Warp Warp
A very new game involving sitting on a parent when they have just woken up and chanting 'Jelly jelly warp warp' until the parent (me) loses it and chucks them out of the bedroom.
Danger* to***** depending on my mood...
Irritation as above Hilarity depends who is asking...
Mess*
Duration*

10.The Chasing Game
Running round in small circles trying to tag each other. This is ALWAYS played in the kitchen as I am trying to cook something or strain boiling pans.
Danger****(hot water and small bodies do not mix well)
Irritation***
Hilarity****
Mess*(we haven't had a trip to A&E yet)
Duration*

So there we are. The BeanSprouts TopTen of games involving only each others company and the odd prop. I am very lucky that the Smalls play very well together. Lots of the time though, there is bickering and they play on their own. When they do get together and do these sorts of games I just love it and actually writing them down will remind me in the future just how well they do get along. It also makes me realise that I need to take more video of them as they grow So Fast. Better go, Smaller's getting out the boxing gloves...

March Scavenger Hunt

2011-03-30T10:22:00.000+01:00

Here is the March Scavenge. I've finished it! First time this year that I've actually completed something on the computer within the time limit! Thank you postcards from the pp for an imaginative list. It has been great fun trying to get it finished. An empty chair. This is our cosy kitchen chair and usually Puppy sits here waiting for Smaller to return from pre-school or the school run.

A ring. Us girl Beans like our cheap and tacky rings. I think I need a bit of hand cream...

A lion.

And a lamb. This is also the something which is the same age as me. Is this cheating? Peeling paint. A bit tricky to see. I have only just painted the hall ceiling, so to see the paint flaking is quite demoralising. Not enough for me to sort it out though...

Fancy gates. The gates themselves are a bit dull but the railings on either side are magnificent. SmallerBean and I bike past these every day and she loves the wolf and cockerel picked out in paint on each side. They are one of the set of gates into Jesus College.

Something green. Some of our ever increasing euphorbia.

A rainbow. At a certain time of day when the sun shines onto a mirrored photo frame in the sitting room, magical rainbows appear in the hall. Amazingly, the planets lined up this month for the scavenge.

A collection. This is a printers tray which has all our found treasure in it. A dried poppy head, old coins from the garden, stones and shells, a china dolls head, a couple of really old cigarette packets from under the floorboards, a piece of the Berlin Wall to name a few. SmallBean now has his own tray for the treasures he finds.

Something sentimental. SmallBeans first pair of proper shoes. Bad photo as you can't quite tell just how diddy they are. They measure 13cm long.

So there we go. March. Gone. One quarter of the year has vanished in what seems like four and a half weeks. Looking foward to the April hunt. Hope it will be filled with eggs, chocolate and bunnies.

Jewellers of the future

2011-03-28T15:18:00.007+01:00

At Smaller's pre-school I decided to run a little competition to see if there were any budding designers out there.

The children were asked to design a necklace for their mumma and a winner would be chosen. The winner would have their design made into a real life wearable piece of jewellery to give to his or her mummy on Mothering Sunday.

The letters went out and I waited to see if anyone would actually take up the challenge. Then on Friday, the staff, or Lovely Ladies (as they are called in our house), chose a winner. Except they didn't. The pressure was to much for them and they went into the church office to ask Mrs Random to select a winner. And she chose...... Ellie's design.

I am truly grateful that she picked this winner as it did actually resemble a necklace. Quite a few of the drawings were quite, how shall we put it, obscure? Abstract? Imaginative?...

Here is Ellie's design.

Isn't it fantastic? Now I would never put those colours together but quite frankly, I think they look stunning. Hasn't Ellie got a great eye for colour?

Now, I did say on the letter that the winning design would be my best interpretation of the drawing. But Ellie's drawing was really quite straightforward. I chose some teeny tiny peridot discs, some larger rounded amazonite nuggets and some dark, dark blue round freshwater pearls. I hooked them on in a random but not order and it looks like this

...what do you think? A passable representation? Personally, I think it is very pretty. I hope Ellie's mumma thinks so too. I'm giving it to her tomorrow. And I might sign Ellie up to help me when I get stuck choosing colours.

Free

2011-03-08T14:26:00.005Z

Down the road there is a house (some people on our street call it Boo Radley's House) with a very big and exceedingly overgrown garden.

Biking back from pre-school, Smaller and I saw that the cherry tree in the front garden Boo's House was being dramatically pruned and there were loads of smalll branches lying on the pavement with hundreds of blossom buds about to burst open.

Me (to bemused tree surgeon chopper man): 'Are those branches being binned? Please could I take one if they are as the buds are just about to open?'

Bemused tree surgeon chopper man (wildly looking round for Beadle style camera and presenter): 'Er, yes. Do you want me to chop them up a bit?'

Me: 'No, they're fine like that. Thank you.' And off we go with branch precariously balanced on bike basket.

And here they are.

Free.

And making my sitting room look much better than an hour before.

Willpower. Or lack of it...

2011-02-21T14:32:00.001Z

A few weeks ago I saw some shaped pearls. I saw them and dismissed them. No, I cannot buy something so contrived. No. Walk away. Good girl, well done.

But then I couldn't get the little blighters out of my head. Shaped pearls? Snowflakes?!? Pah! Corny. Tasteless. Yet...

I looked again and left. However, in the end, the pearls won and I handed over the cash and went away feeling slightly disproving of myself. But at the same time my mind was going into overdrive with the possibilities.

Trying out different combos from the magic bean box, I kept coming back to the same mix- the snowy white looked deeelicious with these tiny faceted garnets.

To me there is something quite Tudor about these jewels. In my head I am seeing bodices and ruffs. And fleas. People are saying 'Forsooth Mistress Blackadder (?), where is the pottage for supper?'

Or perhaps I am just a little deluded what with the mess and paint fumes here.

There are more snowflake and garnet delights but I haven't tried using the card thingy yet to up/download my photos. Lead is still AWOL. Think it took my brain with it.

Lost

2011-02-14T14:06:00.002Z

Since last September our house has been a bit messy and cluttered. ('What's new?' I hear BigBean shout. 'I can't see any difference.') Things out of place, piled up and hard to find. This is because of the lovely new loft conversion which is oh-so-nearly finished. Stuff had to be moved so new stairs could be fitted, rugs are rolled and numerous pictures taken off the walls and balanced precariously in piles in daft places because there wasn't anywhere else to put them at the time.

I am itching to get everything back to normal but it is a slow process. And in this process I have lost something Very Important. My camera-to-computer lead. It's vanished. Gone. Missing. AWOL. So I can't download (upload?) any photos for anything.

I have searched in the usual places- under the stairs, by the not quite so broken other computer, by the fruit bowl, in the in-basket and under the pew. I have searched in the not so usual places- in the fruit bowl, behind cushions, in my jewellery stash and in with the Beans puzzles and games. But no. It is not anywhere.

I have some new necklaces that I want on my website. I am desperately on the verge of getting a Folksy shop going. I want photos printed out for Grandpa's birthday. I want to do a ta-dah about the New Room. But I can't.

I know I can use the card thingy in the camera but this doesn't fill me with confidence. I know that as soon as I buy another lead, the old one will walk down the stairs with a smug look on its face and sneer at me. I know that I am an untidy person and this will not teach me a lesson.

Madness in BeanTowers, well, the garden...

2011-02-05T15:42:00.003Z

It's February.
Not even late February.
The washing is struggling to stay pegged to the line in the blustery gales.
The temperature says it's 10 degrees (quite mild really)
but the BeanSprouts are in the garden, barefoot and soaking, playing with mud, water and jelly skeletons.

Actually, I think the trousers and pants are coming off. Better go...

Hunting, well scavenging...

2011-01-25T14:33:00.010Z

I have decided to join in with The Scavenger Hunt, here on Postcards from the PP's blog. Each month there is a list, pretty random (I love random), of things to search for and photograph.

I thought it might be quite a tricky task but just going round the house this afternoon I have managed to work through a fair bit of the list. Want to see?

My front door
bubbles (is it cheating to use my screen saver thingy?)

a reflective surface, not a mirror

stained glass

and something out of place. Not only the Christmas stamp but a photo which is stubbornly not staying rotated...

Tomorrow I'll take my camera on the school run and get nature, playground equipment and the library snapped. No tombstones over one hundred years old on our way to school or any goldfish that I am aware of but they shall be hunted and scavenged soon.

Prizes

2011-01-22T16:47:00.001Z

Way back in October I won a little giveaway, here over on Vintage Squirrel, which is a very lovely blog indeed. However. For reasons beyond everyone's control (and my knowledge) I only found out that I had won a couple of weeks ago.

I was invited to chose a brooch from the amazing selection that The Talented Mrs Squirrel makes. Quite frankly, this is An Impossible Task. All of them are beautiful. In the end, after much umming and ahing, I plumped for one which combines two colours which I think go oh-so-well together, red and tealy blue.

It arrived in a scrumptious brown squidgy envelope and when I opened it there was a packet wrapped in red tissue inside. Can you see the little personalised stickers holding the tissue together? Inside that was the treasure, and it does not disappoint. It is much bigger than I imagined. It has a dear little ribbon which I love and it was fixed to a hand-stamped brown card with all Mrs Squirrel's details on it.

Isn't it beautiful?

(Even better if I'd managed to get the blinking photo the right way round..)

Now I have the task of choosing how and where to wear it. On my hat? On my bag? Or perhaps I need to fix it to my poor old coat, just to jazz it up a bit and make it a bit less brown?

Pop over to her blog- it is a treat. And thank you, Vintage Squirrel- you have put a wee bit of colour into my grey Cambridge week.

Technical Hitch

2011-01-09T14:04:00.005Z

One of my little promises to myself for 2011 was to blog regularly. Not just dip in and skim read every time I waltzed past the computer, but to spend a chunk of time once or twice a week doing a post and catching up with bloggers and reading their posts. This being possible because I have stopped my supply work and SmallerBean is going to preschool Four Mornings a Week starting Tomorrow!!! This is the first regular me time I will have had since the arrival of Small, six and a half years ago. And by this, I mean only me in the house. No children, no husband and no builders. Of course I will have rather a lot to do but I will not be interrupted constantly with requests for dressing Puppy, making drinks, sorting out squabbles and answering endless 'Why?' questions.

However. There is a problem. Over the hols our computer suffered a major illness. He (it must be a he) has been operated on and talked to and sworn at and taken to bits and reassembled but to no avail. We have lost everything from the end of August til now. BigBean is slowly managing to get a few things back but all our amazing photos from Scotland at half term have, pouf, vanished. All my emails and favourites, pouf, gone. All my supply work; newsletters, planning and records, pouf, disparru. Puff of smoke and finished.

And we are not out of the woods yet. We dare not put anything back on to the hard drive Just In Case. So I cannot upload photos (and I really really want to see our Christmas photos) and so I am reluctant to post a post. A post without a pic or two is not quite as interesting as one with some eye candy. Do you agree?

I have been given an award from Andrea, over at Fin and Gabs, (thank you lovely lady) but cannot get it onto the sidebar. I have new sparkliness that I want to show and tell. I want to keep my promise to myself about blogging. But NO NO NO! Bloody technology is not playing the same rules as me.

Normal service will (hopefully) be resumed soon. Until then, I'm back to dipping and skimming.

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T22:41:00.002Z

a hIpPy haPpY nEw YeaR to EveRYoNE.

mAy 2011 be FiLLeD wiTh pEAce And hEALtH and muchest HAPPINESS.

See You In 2011, MagicBean x

Oh Christmas Tree

2010-12-20T10:47:00.001Z

I think this is almost my favourite bit of Christmas. There is something so magical about having a tree in the house covered in twinkly lights (I'm not brave enough for candles) with treasure hanging from every little branch. All the memories. The magic. The smell. When I came downstairs this morning and walked into the sitting room I felt giddy with the smell and sight of The Tree. It's becoming a bit of a tradition in the Bean House to find a tree which is on a bit of a wonk. A straight tree just wouldn't be us.

This year I did a u-turn. I allowed the BeanSprouts to help me decorate it. Of course I didn't give them any of the precious glass baubles that were my grannies, or let them put on any of the more gaudy ones. Oh no. Just white and bright and silver and gold with the teensiest hint of red for me. The bottom twigs are rather well endowed but I haven't moved them- impressed eh? Before you think too harshly of me and stop reading because you think I am an utter control freak, we decorate other parts of the house and colour is allowed. In fact, the BeanSprouts have made a rather impressive string of beads which will hang in the hall with some more lights and the Christmas cards but they are not up yet.

I tried to take some close upish pictures of some of the decorations but with mixed results so apologies for some dodgy photos.

This serene angel has been gracing our trees for the last ten years or more. Wears it well, don't you think?

This is a wee holly fairy, bit tricky to see. He has a twin, the mistletoe fairy who is gazing out the window looking for love...
This angel belonged to my granny and I remember her sitting at the top of their silver tree each year. Every time I get her out she seems to be wearing a little less than the previous year. But she has to be part of our Christmas- the tree wouldn't be the same without her.

I tuck little white doves into lots of dark corners. I love them.

A string of big baubles hangs in the middle of the sitting room with more lights and a sparkling of stars.

And a bunch of this stuff just has to hang somewhere. SmallBean has learnt not to lurk underneath it...

Thank you to everyone who has read my posts and commented and become a bloggy-friend. I'm sorry I don't always reply to everyone individually, perhaps things will calm down a smidge in 2011. Not quite a blog birthday yet but it seems fitting to say these things at the end of the year. Have a fabby Christmas and an amazing New Year, lol MagicBean xxxx

Away in a manger

2010-12-16T11:01:00.003Z

SmallerBean has been practising for her little pre-school 'concert'.

'Away in a manger
Ungrateful for a bed...'

She won't be told.

Splash of Colour- December

2010-12-09T16:43:00.005Z

This splash of colour is not one I like. And neither does SmallerBean. The poor old girl has got chickenpox and although she's being really stoic about the whole thing, we didn't get much sleep last night. It's not much fun sharing a bed with a hot wriggly scratchy two year old. Of course she is now running around with Small having great games and laughing like a drain. I just want to drag myself back to bed and drink more tea.

The only positive thing is that it's not Christmas. And that Small has already had it.

On a more healthy note, here are some less angry splashes, the first before Smaller got the spots.

PIF Part Two...

2010-12-04T21:45:00.009Z

On this post I decided to do a PIF, a Pay It Forward. Now I don't know if I was being vague or a bit obtuse or just plain blonde but I only got a couple of people wanting to join in. And one of those didn't leave any kind of details...

So. The first TWO people to leave a comment will get a little Mulberry-Dog something delivered to their homes before Christmas. The only snag being that they then have to do a PIF of their own in the future.. Get it? I don't think I can be much simpler than that. (No comments from YOU, BigBean...)

It might be something like this

or this.

Please help me here. I want to draw a line under this and get the darned parcels off to their new homes asap so I can concentrate on the next lot of wrapping and sending.

Leave a comment and some way of contacting me and if Kim is reading this, get in touch and I'll pop something in the post for you too.

The Nativity Story

2010-11-24T20:29:00.005Z

What started as a three week foray back at the chalk face has ended up with me being there for a whole term. It's been uppy and downy, laugh or cry and sometimes just plain old 'I don't want to go to school today.' But there have been some really good times too. Like this week.

We read the children (remember they are three and four) The Christmas Story. Do you know this one? We have it at home and I was very pleased to see it in the classroom too. Then, one by one, the children were asked to retell it to us. And we scribed. We are in the process of getting the children to draw the Main Characters so we can print out their words and join everything together to make 32 fabulous books.

And I would very much like to share some of these wonderful stories with you...

Baby Jesus was in the barn and he was talking to the angels. They went into the barn. The knights on the camels went to see Baby Jesus and they brought him some presents, some things. The star told them and they talked to each other and they followed the star. The shepherds saw the barn and they talked to Baby Jesus.

The shepherd looked after the sheep. The angel crashed and fell over. Then she went to see Baby Jesus. Mary was there and Daddy. The kings walked to get the baby. They followed the star to the stable. The baby is called Freddie. He did sleeping.

Some shepherds were looking after their sheep so they don’t get lost. The tooth fairy comes and she says ‘A baby will come.’ The shepherds go with the sheep. They are going to go to the farm. The tooth fairy is at the farm. The star was in the sky. They found a baby. Baby Jesus! Three kings come. They bringed gold and treasure and stuff. They gave it to Baby Jesus.

The shepherds were looking after their sheep so they don’t get lost. An angel came. ‘Baby Jesus has been born.’ The shepherds wanted to see the baby. Three kings followed a star and gave him some presents because it was his birthday. I think he would like a spoon.

Jesus was sleeping in the bed in the house. The shepherds saw an angel who was singing. Three kings got on their cameras and rode to see the little baby. The shepherds looked after the sheep. Mary sat in the stable.

Baby Jesus did lots of sleeping. The majesties rided horses and the baddy came. The angel flew away. The baddy came and collected the witch. The baby died.

Well, whaddya think? Have I done a good job teaching these children? Would you be pleased to have me as your child's teacher??? I know for certain that one of these children has a newly diagnosed hearing problem but the rest? Vivid imaginations. And bad memories.

I think I will try this out on SmallerBean too. She is only just a smidge younger than a lot of these children and I think the story could be a goody. If it is, I'll let you know.

Treat

2010-11-21T20:04:00.001Z

Yesterday I hopped onto the train at Cambridge station with four girlfriends and we gossiped our way down to London. I was on the very last (I think) bit of my birthday string-out.

After meeting up with another friend we did a teensy bit of retail here,

sorry I can't show you what I bought but it is a Christmas pressie for one of the girls. If you are ever in Regents Street, pop in to Anthropologie just for a peek. There is a wonderful smell in there from a vertical garden

which grows up over three floors just by the stairs. The clothes are to die for

but you have to be feeling Very Rich. I tried on an amazing cardi. But it was £168. £168??? Are they MAD??? Gorgeous, but you can't spend that much on knitwear unless you're called Kate. Go in and feel and smell and ogle- the whole shop is a hit for your senses.

We then ate the most scrumptious prawns, squid and seafood soup in a restaurant called Wrights, just off Regents Street somewhere. A glass of white and pud later, we toddled off to the Palace Theatre where we ordered interval cocktails and wine, found our seats and sat down to watch the best show you could imagine. Do you want to know what it was???

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

So so funny. So so colourful. And quite rude. Excellent songs and singing, fabulous stage use and the best costumes you could ever imagine. A lot of skin on show and dancing, dancing, dancing.

Just after we'd finished our half time drinks and sat down for Part Two, some of the chorus line trouped off the stage to scoop up a few willing members of the audience. As my friend Becky was sitting on the end of the row, she was hauled up onto the stage. To dance. With the cast of Priscilla. Ooh la la. Dancing on the stage of The Palace Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I started taking pictures of her on my phone and then a man came along and Told Me Off. I had to stop snapping (but not before I'd got a couple of shots) and then my phone ran out of juice so no more pics could be taken.

After the fantastico show the fun did not stop. Oh no no no.

A little trip to The Primrose Bakery for a cake and cuppa

(I chose a tasty little carrot number) before we headed back to Kings Cross, a packed train and a very foggy bike ride over the river and home. Thank you so much K,B,L,E and H. What a treat.

Today it seems as if the whole day was a bit of a dream. But don't you find the best days often are?

PIF

2010-11-14T18:14:00.005Z

Quite a while ago I was the lucky recipient of a PIF. No, not this kind of PIF (was there anyone else out there who actually watched The High Life? Us Beans loved it...) but a Pay It Forward from Jenevieve.

In my haste to get this post out I forgot to turn the photo, sorry.

What a lucky wee girlie, eh? Thank you very much for my little stash of beads and bluey silvery treasures, Jen.

Anyway, now it is my turn to Pif Paf Poff.

The first three people to leave a comment will be sent a small but lovely surprise. Before Christmas. And then they have to Pif Paf Poff at some point. I think I have the rules right but please correct me if I am wrong. I often am, you know.

Calm

2010-11-07T12:03:00.014Z

Over half term (boy it seems like an AGE ago) we stayed in a wee cottage on the side of a steep hill in the Borders of Scotland. It is beautiful and remote and very very muddy.

Yes, that's the cott, surrounded by fresh air, trees and grass. Which turns into mud at the drop of a hat...

Our fortunes with the weather were mixed. Frosty days when we had to break the ice on the puddles as we walked and biked, gloomy days when we mooched in Kirkcudbright and then ate amazing ice cream here, which is Well Worth A Visit, stormy days when we did slightly worry that the gnarly old oaks behind the cott might just topple and some wet and rainy time that just made us (well, not Big, he went out on mad muddy biking adventures) stay in and hang out.

The BeanSprouts were happy making dens, reading, colouring and playing table football with a hedgehog. (No ball could be found and the nearest and best thing was a pompom hodgepig but Smaller didn't much like this turn of affairs. 'It's not kind to play football with a hedgehog,' she repeated ad nauseum.)

I spent much time making new sparkly goodness while looking out the window at this view. Pretty impressive , huh? I was so so pleased I took the MagicBean box with me on our little hol- it was very restful and stress-busting to use my hands and head to make some new things. After the last few weeks of frenzy and chaos that has been Bean Life I think it was theraputic and calming to Make Things. My stash was fairly low but I managed to get creative and build. Want to see?

A pearly linky necklace,

some wintry doves in the snow

and some icy pearls with aventurine, moonstone, amazonite and a teensy crystal.

I have popped them in my shop with a few other things I made. I hope that the necklace doesn't sell- not only do I love it but it really reminds me of a very happy week.

Some colour for Mrs Pebble

2010-11-07T12:00:00.005Z

Mrs Pebble is doing a series of colourful posts and putting pictures on flikr to get her through the grey and dreary winter months. Personally, I love this time of year, and the rest of the autumn and winter. I love the changing seasons, the unexpected bright and sunny days, the wet and windy days when all you do is light the fire and eat toast and soup and the total unpredictability of it all.

Warm jumpers, boots, thick socks, hats and scarves are my most favourite clothes and it's a bit tricky and also quite hot wearing them in the summer.

Mmm. Good eyebrows...

Then of course there is the build up to (dare I say it?) Christmas. Twinkly lights, magical music, the anticipation of a visit, hiding, wrapping, placing under the tree, the SMELL of it all.

Then the serious business of January. New starts, fresh beginnings and a good old sort out.

And suddenly there are teeny tiny signs that spring is on its way.

So really and truly I do love this time of year.

Anyway. Looking out into the garden at breakfast a couple of days ago I noticed that the red leaves which have been plentiful and flamey were dropping like flies. So I popped out and gathered some for Smaller to take to Pre-School. Then I thought... better snap those for my blog so I can join in a bit of colour and make my friend up- the-road-and-over-the-fen feel a bit more cheery on this grey old day.

So Mrs. P. Hope these have brightened up your day a smidge.

Plagerism

2010-11-04T12:01:00.000Z

SmallBean loves history. Knights, Romans, vikings, ancient Greeks, celts and Robin Hood(?) all feature a lot in his imaginative play. He has many books which he reads and reads and reads, and his knowledge of certain historical periods outclasses mine hugely. (Well, let's face it, my history is zilch so even SmallerBean aged 2 1/2 probably knows more than me...)

One of his favourite authors is Marcia Williams. Have you heard of her? She rewrites history books in the form of comic strips with the most detailed pictures you can imagine. And she often includes little speech bubbles which are a bit rude. Which makes Small love them even more. Her books we have read include Robin Hood, The Iliad and the Odyssey, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Greek Myths and King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. We will be dipping into Shakespeare, Dickens and Inventors at some point. If you have a child who is not too keen on history or reading, I cannot recommend enough for you to go and borrow one of Marcia's books from your library or buy one here or here. I have truly learnt lots from her. Maybe my historical understanding would have been better if I had listened harder to Mrs Anderson and Mrs Rhys when I was in 4UN but they really could have made Sutton Hoo and raising the Mary Rose heaps more interesting. I was asked to stop doing history at the first possible opportunity ie at the end of 4UN. Just think. If Marcia had taught me history I could have been an academic on TV, working with The Snows and making programmes about battles in fields in 1538. Or digging up the City of London with Baldrick, sorry, Tony Robinson and talking for twenty minutes about a chink of brown pottery. Mmmm. Worth thinking about isn't it?

I digress.

Look at the detail and humour in the pictures. Aren't they incredible?

The reason I am telling you all this is because the other day, SmallBean decided to write his own book. This is a BIG THING because although SmallBean loves to read and can do so very well, he is Not So Keen On Writing. Or drawing. So I had a huge smile on my face when he made his announcement. And he was most adamant that he would be illustrating and scribing in the style of Marcia Williams. He is writing Robin Hood and I thought you might like to have a peek at what he has done.

There. Isn't that marvellous? Can you tell which one is Robin? Pick out that dastardly Sheriff?
Don't you love the way a volleyball game suddenly starts?

There are Other Books on the last page

and a bar code on the back cover.

Now those of you with girls will be thinking 'Well, Florence/Maud/Donatella (delete as necessary) has been doing that sort of thing since she was three. Just what is the big deal?' Those of you with boys may be sharing in my incredulity and glee. You will possibly understand where this big smile has come from. Pencil choosing is a rare occurrence in this house and when it happens I like it. Especially when something so fab has been achieved. When the rest of Rodin (sic) Hood has been written and illustrated, I am going to scan it and send it to Marcia (you see how I am on first name terms with her??) just to show her how she influences Young People (or Young Person) in such a good way. I hope she likes SmallBeans book as much as we like hers.

Thanks Marcia.

(I emailed Marcia Williams and she gave me permission to use photos for this post. Thanks You.)

Watch out for the witches tonight...

2010-10-31T09:32:00.004Z

Hellooo there. It seems like a long time since I've posted a proper good(?) read, thanks for sticking with me and hanging by. Work, building and a lovely week up in the Scottish Borders have seriously eaten into my posting time. Don't worry. I'm not going to grumble and grouse as I have been over the last few weeks to poor old BigBean and my two loverlee neighbours, about work, dust and No Time. Instead, I am going to be jolly and smiley.

First, I need to thank two bloggy readers, driftwood and Jenevieve. They both gave me a blog award. I was totally speechless and really truly touched. I ramble on and show you a glimpse of my home life and some of you actually like it. Two of you like it enough to give me a little trophy and I thank them both enormously. However, I am not a good enough blogger to get the award pictures up on the side so feel free to unaward me...

And let me know how to get the thingies up on the side. It's truly baffling me but I am blonde(ish).

I think that I now need to post seven things about myself that you don't already know.

1. I love the smell of washing just off the line.

2. I love these books and the fourth one, Heartstone, is in the post to me as I type. When it arrives I will be the most anti-social person in town. Mr Sansom transports you back in time and Tudor London is so real you can almost smell it. Gripping, exciting and unexpected. Please read the first one and you'll see what I mean.

3. If money was no object, I would dress head-to-toe in these clothes. Just look at the bonkersness of some of these things. So so comfortable. So unusual and so luxurious too. I can only buy them on ebay and even then I have to be feeling quite rich. Actually, I think head-to-toe might be a teensy bit too much.

4. I get very excited when I see hares out in the fields. I think they are wonderful. Earlier this year I counted nineteen (19) in a field in Suffolk, quite near a regular haunt of the Beans, The Leaping Hare.

5. Marmite? Love it.

6. Capers? Gross.

7. My guilty little TV secret is .... X-Factor. Yes. It's true. I love it. Bad bad bad but I just can't help myself.

Now I need to pass the Versatile Blog Award on to five fellow bloggies. Sue over at The Quince Tree never fails to make me smile, Kirstie for her unfailing calming influence on me, Julia, for her honesty and reality, Ali for the simplicity of her posts and lastly, I really want to give it back to driftwood for her humour and on-my-wavelengthness. Is that allowed? Please let me. I really want to.

Another smiley thing is that my Halloween swapsie with Jille arrived last week looking like this...

It couldn't have arrived at a better time. I had had a truly pooey day and this parcel made me feel much better when I opened it. Inside were some lovely things.

A gorgeous felty tweedy autumny flower brooch which is now on my jacket
some fabby ghoulish bunting
a screme egg which I munched as I opened the other packets

a card with a ghostly message inside

an excellent and most subtle pair of skeleton socks

and a pair of wonderful trick-or-treat bags for the SmallBeans, filled with creepy crawlies. This last parcel almost reduced me to tears such was my emotional unbalance that evening. There were a couple of other things in this most generous of swaps but uploading is not playing nicely with me and I can't face the uncertainty of losing it all. I am also sorry that the photos look rather garish and bright but I suppose I can get away with it for this once because of the subject... For a better look at the stash pop over to her blog. Thank you so so much Jille, you really made a huge effort and put a lot of work in and The Beans love them all.

Hope you stayed the course. There is so much more I need to post about but you'll have to wait.

Have a totally creepy and scary Halloween. Hope the goblins don't get you.

Overheard on the landing...

2010-10-09T19:44:00.003+01:00

SmallBean to SmallerBean.

'If you want to come into my bedroom you have to do a burp or a fart.'

I didn't linger to hear her answer. Some things are best left...

Second chances

2010-09-25T13:46:00.000+01:00

Update:
work- ok, just about finding my feet
childcare- better than I dared to hope but stressier than I'd like
state of the house- terrible
SmallerBean's ceiling- very draughty but patched with a bit of plywood

This post has been waiting in the wings for A While so I thought I'd get it out as the rest of the Beans are exploring Thetford Forest.

A few weeks ago, on this post, I talked about a new little idea involving sea glass. My little stash in the bathroom was doomed for the drill and a new lease of life, hanging around someone's neck. I carefully chose pieces which were a good colour, shape and with just the right weatheredness to them. The drill bits arrived and BigBean and I tottered down to the shed (his domain) where we discussed the best way to drill the loveliness. He had previously persuaded me that this was a job which needed his help. And boy, was he right.

Sea glass is a complete bugger to drill and it took about twenty minutes to get a hole through the trial piece.

Big had had enough by this stage (DIY is second nature to him but faffing around with skinny drill bits and pieces of 'rubbish' from the beach with me sqeaking 'Don't spoil this piece, it's gorgeous' and 'Can we make the hole a bit more...CAREFUL!!!... towards the top' are not home improvements to him.)

Anyway. We (he) drilled a second piece and I skipped back up to the house with it and started getting out the magic beans. Later on (I can't make beany things with Smaller around, she does BAD things with her grabby hands) I put together some beans and the glass and snipped and twisted and arranged to make (are you ready?).............

THIS!!!!Can you even spot the solitary shard of treasure?

I wonder what this little piece of glass was before it sat in the middle of this necklace? A milk bottle? Vodka bottle? Part of a jar with tasty strawberry jam inside? And I also wonder where it came from? The beach I found it on is on the Solway Firth, just near Southerness. We call it the Shell Beach as the whole place is just white white white with cockle shells, but if you look closely there is quite a bit of sea glass to be found too. Maybe it only travelled a short way. But perhaps it came from hundreds of miles away and has been tossed and turned and sand-blasted for many years.

And then I was in the bean zone.

But the drilling Had Stopped so I had to be content with going back to Plan A and making things with the stash which didn't require new holes.

A pink mixed stone garland,
and a grey and mauvey pearly linked necklace with a flat silver disc

and mauvey garland with a lovely faceted aventurine heart.

But I'll have to wait for BigBean to unlock the shed before I give some more sea glass a second chance of happiness.

Break

2010-09-15T00:44:00.002+01:00

Things took a sudden turn (or two) here today in a mixy uppie kinda way.

The first thing that happened was that part of Smaller's ceiling fell down. It did have a little bit of help from our lovely builders (not being sarcastic, they are lovely) who are making a Brand New Room for us in the loft. Doing some joist/floor/suchlike work they pressed/hammered/ jumped(?) a bit too hard and a very large piece came smattering down. And with it came rather a lot of soot. And plaster dust. So Smaller's room and most of our house has an autumn coat of fine black greasy dust. It's in her toys, clothes and bed. So tonight she sleeps in Smalls room and they did not get to sleep until L.A.T.E. If I remember, I'll photo the hole for you. Funnily enough it didn't occur to me to do it earlier...

While all these shenanigans were going on a very nice head teacher lady phoned me and asked if I could work in her nursery for a week or two or more as her teacher was off sick for a while.

I said yes, but now the very thought of working full time, even for just three weeks, sorting out my Beansprouts and trying to banish the bad blackness from the house is giving me panic attacks. (Note the time, I'm usually snoring by now.) Forgive me, all you working mummas who do this every day, but I am out of the loop and my head is bursting with the spaghetti tangles of who is going to drop off, pick up, take, collect and remember my precious Sprouts. I haven't done going out to work since I was pregnant with Smaller and then I only had one Bean to sort out. I am worrying so very very much that I won't be in the right place at the right time. Quite a lot of worrying going on in fact.

So. I may be a bit absent for a while. Back soon.

Pining

2010-09-10T13:45:00.000+01:00

It's now about three weeks since we returned from our holiday up on the shores of Loch Fyne. We have been to this cottage three times now and it never fails to amaze us. It is simply stunning. Secluded, quiet, RIGHT ON THE LOCH and beautiful beautiful fantastic scenery.

The very first thing BigBean did was to inflate the canoe and go off for a paddle with Small. This is his paradise.

This year, Small had his first attempt at fishing. He now has his own little rod and tried very hard to catch something for our supper. The fish didn't bite all week and we had to rely on the seafood place in nearby(ish) Tarbert, 20 miles down the road. However, we did eat THE most delicious scallop I've EVER tasted. It was hand dived by BigBean!!!
One day we went to Crinan for lunch and a mooch about. It is the most pretty little place you could imagine. Teeny tiny white cottages, a lighthouse and this stone house which overlooked the bay. I fell for this house big time. We ate a delicious lunch at the Oh-So-Smart Crinan Hotel. Time runs at a different rate up there and boy were we ready for our food when it arrived. We did have to wait but it was so worth it. Fish and seafood which had most probably been swimming and blowing bubbles that very morning.

The locks and canal are pretty amazing too and we spent quite a while watching some flashy boats starting the run along to Lochgilphead.
A bit of beachery. And we found this very Darth Vadery piece of nature. Much debate went on about what it was. No concrete conclusions were made but The Beans would be very happy to hear what you think it might be.

Wierd, isn't it?

Of course, we did a bit of sculpture. The cottage has a concrete pier beside it and this is where we always do our stone art. Much searching is done to find appropriate noses, lips and hair. The glamourous lady above has a ready prepared barnacle nose which SmallBean found most entertaining.

Here is the full line-up. Smallers creations were mutant to say the least, quite on par with albino Darth above.
Oh, the excitement of going Loch Dipping...

And thanks to Steve Backshall, here, Small has become a hardened naturalist, overcoming all his fears and phobias about beasties. Except wasps. And midgies.

This fella was alive and kicking (can crabs kick?) when Small brought him up to the cottage. Doesn't he look pleased with himself? Small, not the crab.

I'm not so sure that this poor little toad had such tender handling from Smaller. She has no inhibitions or worries about catching beasts at all and her grabby little hands were never going to let him get away. When we did let him go, he crawled off (in a bit of a panic I do believe) so I think that the trauma was all mental, not physical...

Well, if you're going to blog about Scotland there's got to be a Highland cow somewhere, hasn't there?

Mr Pine Marten came visiting to eat scraps and crumbs. Just a couple of metres away form the sitting room door!!! You don't see this very often in Cambridge.

Or this. The view from the garden. I think BigBean is pining just a little bit. And if I'm honest, so am I.

The world according to SmallerBean...

2010-09-07T14:25:00.003+01:00

SmallerBean has been missing her Big Bro' like mad this week. However, she's been keeping herself busy, rearranging the planet...

...as you do when you're 2 1/2.

Chiaroscuro

2010-09-01T19:53:00.003+01:00

Mrs Pebble, over on this blog, did a lovely post on the shadows in her home. She invited everyone to have a look at the chiaroscuro/light-dark in their own homes. I was very keen to join in and play, especially as the sun has been shining this week...

While I was looking for shadows I found lovely patterns made by the glass in our front door.

Our sitting room is south facing and gets A Lot of sun. Did you know that cream (curtains) can fade?

The light has really changed in our house today as we have had scaffolding put up for our loft conversion. People have said how they dislike having the scaffolding as it makes the houses so dark but I am really enjoying the difference it makes. Maybe when the days start to get shorter and the sun stops shining I will be desperate for it all to be dismantled but for now I am liking the new light and patterns.

Look at the shadows the poles make on the ceiling

and on the bathroom wall.

Although the photos are not really very good at all, Mrs P's post has made me look at our sunny house in quite a new way today. Thanks Silverpebble.

If the sun keeps shining I may have another go at snapping away. Or I might just lie on the floor with SmallerBean and watch the shadows move and change.

The Fifth Bean

2010-08-29T14:15:00.000+01:00

I've been so so rude. I have neglected to introduce you to a VERY important member of our family. Really, he should have been posted about before Vampire Dog made an appearance. I hope he will forgive me. I hope she will forgive me. (We're never quite sure what the gender will be from day to day.) He (let's just call him a boy today for the sake of argument) arrived when SmallerBean was about six months old. He was a complete hit from the that day and he goes everywhere with her.May I introduce you to Puppy?

SmallerBean looks undressed if she is without Puppy. Sometimes Puppy has clothes, sometimes not. He has a birthday about three times a week. He goes on lots of holidays (in the sitting room), he eats lots of (plastic) food and his favourite food is flies(?). Puppy and SmallerBean are a great team. I love the way she uses Puppy as a vehicle for what she wants. 'Mummy, Puppy wants a biscuit.' 'Puppy likes painting.' 'Puppy doesn't like tidying up.'

Puppy has to go everywhere with us. It is likely that just as we are leaving the house, SmallerBean says 'Where's Puppy?'

I have lost count of the minutes I spend looking round the house before we go out, trying to find Puppy. It is exasperating. Usually, Puppy is in a cupboard, or under the bed, or behind a cushion. If Puppy ever got REALLY lost I can't imagine what would happen to The Beans.

The situation is so critical that we bought a second Puppy. We have to swap the two puppies (known as Clean Puppy and Dirty Puppy) quite frequently so if the disaster of Puppy being lost actually happened, we would have one of a similar worn-outness and smell. (But I won't dwell on that...) My paranoia about losing a puppy got SO bad that I bought some name tags with no name but our phone number on them. Just In Case.

I'm sure you'll catch up with him again soon. It could be a new bloggy competition- Spot Puppy for a prize. Mmm. I'll think about that.

A new bean is created...

2010-08-25T09:43:00.002+01:00

Having spent rather a lot of years making crafty things with three and four year old in my previous life as a nursery teacher, I have a cupboard full of treasures to do makey-crafty-nasties and a head full of ideas to use the treasures. Imagine my horror when SmallBean arrived and grew and made it perfectly clear that he Didn't Like Craft. Cajouling, persuading, bribing and beating (only kidding) didn't seem to work so the cupboard remained full and tidy. Making junk models and tissue paper crowns and finger painted chickens with string legs on my own aged 37+ just seemed a bit odd. So imagine my delight when SmallerBean made it equally clear that she was going to be the Makey Queen. Now I sometimes wish that the cupboard had a lock on it...

To cut a long story short, I was determined that over the summer hols we would all do lots of stuff together at the kitchen table. Small overdid the eye-rolling (he's practising for his teenage years in seven years time) but then those big brown eyes lit up when I mentioned that we were going to try to make a soft toy of his design. A long time ago I came across a website which turned childrens drawings into soft toys. Very exciting but toooo much cash for us Beans. Small is into design at the moment. I think that it must play a large part in the KS1 curriculum for Y1. Anyway. He did a drawing. Then I made him do another when I saw the absurdly thin legs he'd given his design. We went through the trunk of fabric and he chose the material for the body, legs, arms and head. All very tasteful and complimentary. I was totally surprised as he is the type of boy who wears camouflage shorts with a stripey t-shirt and socks and crocs... We (I) cut out the parts and he began to get bored and went off to play Lego Atlantis and I pinned it together and he came back and changed the design so I repinned and began to sew.

Slowly, painfully, painstakingly, it began to take shape.

The legs and arms were stuffed and joined to the body. Then tugged away form being all joined up inside as I turned it the right way round.

The eyes, ears and fangs(!?!) were attached.

I stuffed the head (at this point Small had come back and was beginning to be a bit more interested although he was still not showing 100% attention).

He then said that the fangs looked like a moustache and was a bit disappointed although he tried very hard not to show me quite how bad he was feeling- I think he realised that I might blow a gasket at this stage in the proceedings.

Finally the body got stuffed and the head and torso were united.

Drum roll drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Introducing Vampire Dog. Small loves him. I hope Vampire Dog's head stays attached or there may be tears.

Now I have the little problem of turning this design into something for SmallerBean. Wish me luck.

Sea Glass

2010-08-12T19:23:00.000+01:00

I've always had a bit of a thing about sea glass.

The gorgeous colours, all muted and, well, sea-ey. The opaqueness, the smooth-but-rough feel of it and the excitement of finding it amongst the shells and pebbles.

Over the last couple of years I have been more and more drawn to it and it has taken over my lust for shells. Just. I spend back-breaking hours looking at the treasure on the shore picking up, discarding, stashing and wandering over the same bit of beach until I am certain that I have all the sea glass that the Atlantic or North Sea has to offer. Quite often a beautiful little shell finds its way into my pocket and if I go home without a pebble or two I have not been looking properly- stones with a line through them, a heart or a hag are my thing.

The sea glass makes its way into a rather splendid jar in our bathroom and it is good to look at. But recently I have been wondering if there is something else I can do with it. I think the sea glass is magic. It could be beans. I am going to make beautiful jewellery with it. For now I am experimenting with wire wrapping just to see what can be done (not very much by me at the moment, it's not beautiful) and if there is love between the glass and the magicbeans in the box. I think a big romance could be on the horizon.

Just look how stunning the glass looks with the magic beans. Perfect. Now I just need the drillbit...

Waiting for the right equipment

2010-08-10T08:47:00.007+01:00

I have an idea going on in my head for some slightly different jewellery using some new beans. But until I buy myself a tiny drill bit, that magic beanery won't be happening. I am though, VERY excited about it and cannot quite contain myself so I have had to get the makey makey urge out of my system by doing more conventional jewels.

A little mother-of-pearl and garnet bracelet.
A mixed stone bracelet.

Little turquoise birdy hoop earrings. (Excuse the empty but used wine glass.)
A lilac, mauve and purple garland necklace. A flowery garland made with many different stones, most of which I don't recognise. But I do quite like the slightly odd mixture of colours. A bit 1975 I feel...
...and an amazonite bracelet which is the nearest I can get to the idea which is whizzing through my head.

With any luck, the new bit will arrive very soon and then I can experiment and create and get the annoying buzz out of my head and around my neck. I wonder if any of you know what I am planning?

2010-08-04T11:46:00.011+01:00

We've been busy. Very busy.

Want to see some of the things we've been up to?

This was a BIG success. Great fun to do and they have a big impact on the kitchen wall. I keep waiting for one of them to fall off in the middle of tea and scare SmallBean half to death...

SmallBean got these Shrinkles for his birthday and they caused great hilarity as the Beans watched them magically do their thing in the oven. I think we used to have these but they were called Shrinkidinks. I also remember putting crisp packets (no crisps of course, they were long scoffed) into the oven to shrink. Must try that again sometime.

A trip to Byron's Pool for a walk and a barbie (q). Seven children aged ten down to two and a labradoodle building a den and playing together for hours was just amazing. We caught tiddlers (and threw them back), spotted huge dragonflies, ate hotdogs and explored the woods. They were not impressed when we called it a day and we had to head home.

Mmmm. That'll keep the baddies out...

A wonderful day at the north Norfolk coast at a friends beach hut. (Just been looking for photos and realised there are none as my camera battery died soon after we got there. But take it from me, the pink and blue beach hut is SCRUMPTIOUS and the sun shone and shone all day. Even the North Sea was warm and inviting.)

The Beansprouts have both spent lots of time dressed up as alter egos. At the moment Ancient Rome is Smalls favourite, so it's togas-a-go-go.

A farewell party for FrenchBean with three families from the street. Another very mixed children age gap group who chatted and danced and ate and played tremendously until very late. And we had a delicious barbie and lots of delicious drinks.

A visit to Milton Country Park where we spied this happy happy sunflower. We had to find a shelter to eat our picnic out of the torrential rain. But I always think that soggy cheese and pickle tastes better, don't you?

And in those very few and far between minutes where we have not been doing things together I have been looking and choosing, threading and twisting and snipping to make new pieces of jewellery. Not sure that this is the most effective way of photoing the magic beans though. I really have a makey urge at the moment and not having enough time is frustrating. Maybe the beanbox will have to come on holiday with me?

Oh la la!

2010-07-22T11:06:00.012+01:00

Had you noticed that through the end of term craziness and now through the school holibobs (YIPPEE!!!!) I have managed to blog on a frequent basis? Shall I tell you how and why? Can you guess?

No, it is not because my Beansprouts just go off and play magically together from sun-up to sun-down (although I am very lucky that they do occasionally have a right old laugh together), or that I am so so organised that I have activities spread out all over the house for them to choose and do from dawn til dusk. No. I will let you into my little secret. For the last two months we have had an au pair share. And the most exciting thing is that she is from Paris. So my friends, living here, well, next-door-but-one, is.... FrenchBean!!! Oh how I have longed to type that!

(photo borrowed from here)

She helps to look after my Beans and GodsonBean and his bro and sis. She is amazing. Her energy levels are ten squillion times bigger than mine. She actually wants to play schools and babies and lego and playmobil and puzzles and doctors and go to the park and football and playdough all the time. All the Smalls love her. She takes herself off to concerts and cafes and colleges and Open Studios and bikes around doing all sorts of Cambridge Things. She knows more about my city than I do. She is gorgeous. And fun and well read and interesting and happy. But we only have a week left with her. She is back off to Paris to see her family for their holiday in Brittany and see her boyfriend and then return to college so she can carry on doing her drama course. We will miss her terribly but for the moment we will carry on eating crepes and dauphinoise potatoes and speak our franglais and make the most of her time left.

Addiction...

2010-07-19T10:15:00.004+01:00

SmallBean turned six yesterday and had his party on Saturday. We had a bit of a tattoo parlour going and look what happened when SmallerBean got her sticky mitts on the left-overs...

I think we may have trouble with her when she hits her teenage years. What do you reckon?

New Decade

2010-07-12T14:13:00.004+01:00

Well, from now on you'll read my posts and think 'Mmmm. What a mature and lucid person that MagicBean is.'. Do you know why??? Because yesterday I had a birthday and now I am forty! Yes folks, I am in a new decade and so far loving every minute of it. (Mostly, I imagine, because I haven't stopped drinking delicious drinks since Saturday lunchtime.) Dinner with family and friends, Beany picnic and neighbourly birthday cake tea have all happened over the weekend and I have had GREAT FUN.

Do you want to see a couple of my generous presents???

A gorgeous little jug from SmallerBean's godfather. It has the name Sue Binns stamped on the side and I'm off to do a little investigating later...
Some fab flip-flops from Martin and Vanessa who makes lots of scrummy things here. As you can see, I won't be lending them to anyone and I'll know if anyone 'borrows' them. Read well SmallerBean...
I almost cried when I opened the door to this bunch. Isn't it spectacular? It is from my gorgeous neighbours and put together by the oh so talented Lucy who lives down the road. She has chosen so so well and I wish you could smell them.

GodsonBean's big sister made this for me- and I wish you could smell this too. It is a large lavender bag with a lovely message on it and when Ihave finished admiring it, it will go into the wardrobe. BigBean loves his clothes to smell of lavender don't you know!

And here is what has been going down in quite large quantities by yours truly. I have been thoroughly spoilt. Thank you everyone who has helped me to celebrate. If you are not yet forty, you have a real treat coming your way.

See? Mature. Eloquent. Grown up. Yeah right.

Renovations

2010-07-07T10:51:00.014+01:00

Back in the 1970's, when I was a wee girl, I loved playing with dolls and teddies. Schools, hospitals, dressing them up in hand made clothes made from scraps, prams, picnics and shopping all featured frequently and were the games I played most, both on my own and with my friends (particularly Emma Charlton, where is she now??). Pippa dolls were my favourite dressing up dolls. Remember them? They were brilliant. Small enough to put in a bag with a couple of outfit changes, long hair to twiddle and style and not a totally unrealistic body shape (no finger pointing at you Barbie).

Then, when I was about seven, I walked into our dining room and found this on the table.

It was made by my grandfather who was a carpenter by trade. It was supposedly made for my ma, HasBean, so that my sis and I would not argue over it but we all really knew that it was mine.

Just take a little tour would you? (Excuse the dust...)

The front door opens into a splendid hallway- with herringbone floor and cornicing. To the left is the formal drawing room with open fire, views to the front and back of the property and original features, including picture rails.

Down the hall to the right is the kitchen, again with front and rear aspects.

Up the stairs with (knitting needle bannisters) there are two double bedrooms with more original features.

Oh me, oh my, did I love this house. It got played with so so much. And it was the envy of my friends. The Pippa Dolls fitted in it like a dream. They lived their rather Regency life with the cornicing, architrave and parquet flooring in complete harmony with their 1970's plastic Pippa tat, sorry, furniture and cardboard DIY jobs made by me. I am very sorry to say that when Has Bean moved house about fifteen years ago I got rid of all my Pippas. And their clobber. Her loft needed emptying and downsizing does not include finding space for old toys. And we had no space for such nostalgia either.

When I was somewhat older, I started collecting rather more tasteful furniture for the Mansion. Some old things, such as this table and dovecote (dovecote, wasn't I getting above my station?) came from a shop near where I used to work in Notting Hill. Other bits and pieces were given to me or bought from various shops specialising in miniatures. Some wooden gobltes were from the market in Pont l'Abbe in Brittany. It has been a lot of fun remembering and rummaging through the bag with furniture in it.

Cream cake anyone?

Or perhaps a chocolate digestive...

Now. As you can quite clearly see from the photos of the mansion, it is empty and very grubby. I want/need to give it a good old spring clean. I want to put furniture back in and make it a home again. What is the best way toget rid of the yellowed paint? I really don't want to redecorate. I am bad enough at doing it on a big scale, but 1/12th??? No no no. The whole place needs a little tlc and I would love some advice on the best way to do this. Then, when it is finished I will be able to show you the smartened up house with all it's biscuits and chairs and pictures in place. And I might have to find a couple of Pippa's to live there.

So much to do, so little time

2010-06-29T14:39:00.007+01:00

Much has been going on these last few weeks and will continue to do so for a while yet. Family get-togethers, school trips, football and tennis to watch, sports day, pre-school visits and two birthdays to plan for. Hoorah! July is THE BEST time for a birthday and both Small Bean and I are counting the days til we wake up with that knotty excited feeling in our tummies and then eat cake and chocolate all day. (As well as quite a lot of champagne too in my case as it is Quite A Significant One for me this year...)

I have also been very busy making treasures from my magic bean box. A lovely shop in Clare, Blue Dog, has bought some of my pieces (hooray). A couple of toggle clasp necklaces like this...

and some bird earrings and necklaces too.

I did a (sadly disappointing) school fair in Suffolk (boo). Our own school fair is at the end of next week, I hope I do a bit better than last weekend. I made this last night to put on the stall

but I really like it and am almost hoping it won't sell.

There is a chance that Sterling Designs at Burwash Manor may want some more silver soon too and I've had a couple of commissions to do. My brain has been quite full of new ideas which I have not yet been able to do. Busy busy busy.

As a result of all this madness our poor old garden is being a bit neglected. I am not going to show you a picture of it, I'll wait til it's all a bit more cherished. What did look all green and frothy a couple of weeks ago now looks quite brown and tired. It doesn't help that we have had almost zilch rain for yonks but I am NOT complaining about that.

Right. Back to the party planning. Or tennis. With a cuppa and chunk of Dairy Milk...

Overheard in the playground...

2010-06-23T13:13:00.000+01:00

Small Bean: What do you like best, burps or farts?

Godson Bean: Farts.

Small Bean: Yeah. They make a better noise don't they.

Tidying Up

2010-06-18T10:00:00.000+01:00

I feel quite out of control at the moment. Too many little trivial things to do but not really enough enthusiasm and momentum to do them. Then that feeling when the Smalls are in bed that nothing has been achieved and yet more things have been added to the To Do list. Not much has been crossed off this week. Until now. I am doing a tidy up post. Then, tick, the blog will be firmly crossed off the list.

Do you remember me telling you about an amazing felt brooch I bought on our recent trip to Saltburn? It was in this gallery. Well, here it is. Do you like it? What do you think? I'm sorry the photo if it is a bit on the wonk but I was too lazy to take it off my jacket. I love the teeny tiny beads but mostly, the serious faces of the heartsease. How simple, but so so effective.

I have been meaning to update you on the progress of our wheat. Look! It has ears. It is tall and straight and I think that we will actually be able to have a mini-harvest later this summer. Will we have enough to make a bread roll? I truly don't know but I cannot wait to see.

Doesn't it look gorgeous? This field of green is in the middle of Cambridge! Yes. I am the little red hen.

Now, earlier this week we had a rather Big Milestone. Small Bean lost his first tooth. He was giving them a good old brush before bedtime and came rushing and screaming into me and Smaller Bean shouting 'My tooth has come out, my tooth has come out!' and all the while spraying blood around. (Well, not that much but there was quite a bit of the red stuff in his mouth.) We left his bedroom window open (for easy access) and that Tooth Fairy left him a golden coin. He is one of the last in his class to loose a tooth so the excitement has been great.

Big Bean is quite sad about this, our boy will never look quite the same again. Small Bean is just waiting for the next wobbler to drop.

On the subject of Small Bean, this is one of his favourite pastimes. I have wanted to blog about the wonders of Playmobil for a while. His bedroom floor is littered with tiny important pieces of plastic which are all part of a complicated game. Where else can Romans, deep-sea divers, pharoahs, knights and pirates all rub shoulders and Small spends HOURS on his floor totally immersed in this world. It is such a fabulous toy. Great for imagination, history, communication, social skills and fine motor development. It should be in everyones house and in every KS1 classroom in the country. Godson Bean loves it and his Big Brother who is 10 still plays with it regularly. I hope that Small's wonderful imagination lasts for a long time to come.

So. I'm off. Need to find a pencil to cross this blog off the list and then plug in the iron. Sadly I won't be joining the crusader and flying off on a rescue mission. Have a good weekend.

Deja Vu

2010-06-14T13:30:00.001+01:00

We went away for the weekend (and bunked a day off school too, shh) to a gorgeous place where Big Beans grandparents lived wayback in the 70's. It is called Saltburn-by-the-sea. Heard of it?

We stayed on the top of this cliff in a one of the Coastguard cottages. You can just about see the little row of cottages on the top of the cliff in the photo above. We were just a short walk down to the most amazing beach we have been on for yonks.Just look. Empty sandy clean sand for as far as the eye can see. We spent a lot of time on the beach. In and out of the sea, writing names in the sand, more splashing, pebble spotting, football and watching this...

...the funicular tram, taking people up and down the steep cliff to town. Big Bean had a long chat with the Tram Master (made up title but quite a good one don't you think?) about how it worked. I switched off after water, cables and weight but he knows all about it so email him if you need to know more...

Big Bean was very excited to be back after such a long time away. We both thought it was fab. A marvellous farmers market on Saturday, delish chocolate shop and beautiful rows of Victorian terraces. I bought a brooch (brooch, I sound like my mother, something about that word I really don't like) made of felt with beads on it, in the Artsbank Gallery. Will blog it later when I've photoed it.

If you click on here you will see the Beans names in the sand.

But mostly we did this.

EDIT: If you want more Saltburn-by-the-sea fun, refer to Attic 24's post a week or so ago.

Winners...

2010-06-07T16:10:00.001+01:00

Apologies first. Sorry. I think I sounded a bit gloomy and brattish on the last post. I wasn't meaning to at all but gloom and brat seemed to come across. I am of course very grateful to anyone who visits and reads this blog and I am subsequently thrilled that so, so many of you entered the lucky-dip. I need to thank Vintage Vicky and A Country Girl especially as they were the first to put a link to MagicBeans on their blogs. VV and C-G, tvm for doing that, x.

Anyway, apologies over with, now down to the nitty gritty.

I made a grid.

I filled it with names.

I covered the names with squares of Cambridge Agenda.

Then I called in my three willing assistants. (Actually they were all a bit reluctant, one was on the loo, one was finishing an ice lolly and the other had just started a new playmobil game.)

Finally they came and showed quite a lot of interest.

Small Bean removed the first square to reveal

Little Gem . Hooray for Little Gem. Email your address to me and that Birdy Necklace Giveaway will fly to you.

Then Godson Bean removed the next piece of paper...

Sherri B!!! You have won something too. A little package will be in the post to you (when you let me know where you live).

And then Smaller Bean wanted to get in on the act, so she picked

Jane. My schoolfriend who I've known since 1981!!! She was the first person to reply to the giveaway on my website. Well done you, a little something will find its way to you in London.

So. There we are, it has been Good Fun doing this. I have also done a World Cup Sweepstake in the Street. Maybe I should get some bingo cards printed and start Two Fat Ladying and Legs Elevening as a bit of a moonlight. Or maybe I should just stick to Beans.

Feeling a bit neurotic...

2010-05-30T21:35:00.000+01:00

Mmmm.

I decided to do a giveaway to celebrate one thousand people visiting my shop. However, no one, nobody, not one single person, has left a comment saying that they want to be included. This is either because

1. The necklace is not actually very nice.

2. I am not yet very good at blogging and therefore nobody is really following or reading what I am wittering on about, which leads onto

3.They are reading but do not find it interesting in any way.

Maybe I am being a tad delicate and over-sensitive but I thought that I would at least be packing this sweet little bird (with a pearl and howlite and gorgeous, gorgeous amazonite) up as a treat for someone on June 6th. If this silence continues, I will end up keeping it for myself.

Here is a final peek at the necklace. Next time you see it, it will probably be strung around my neck...

Please give this bird a good home.

Ooops!

2010-05-27T13:42:00.000+01:00

Living in Cambridge, we do much of our travelling about by bike. I love my bike and Smaller Bean rides on the back giving me a rolling commentary on yellow cars, motorbikes and the bin lorries. She loves the bin lorries. Always has done. She waves enthusiastically at them which can be a bit embarrassing at times.

Yesterday we took Small Bean up to Beavers and on the way home, our (not so) trusty two wheeled transport managed to spill us. Thankfully we were not on a road and a lovely lady stopped to ask if we were ok, which we were. Smaller Bean was not happy about the sudden sideways skid and being trapped in her seat but she was completely unharmed. I, on the other hand had a Very Painful elbow and foot. I have had to throw my shoes away because one of them has a hole in it now. Over last night, more and more bits of me were beginning to feel sore. I have a very impressive lump and bruise on my leg. Look!

Actually, this doesn't really do the bruise justice. And my elbow isn't much better. It is not as painful as it was yesterday, at least I can bend it again but pressing down on it still hurts lots.

We were brought home by our lovely neighbour, Becka and then looked after by Big Bean. As for the bike, I won't be getting back on it until Big Bean has done a thorough MOT on it this weekend. And I've got a little shoe shopping trip to plan...

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAYON THE PREVIOUS POST...

You've gotta be in it to win it!

2010-05-25T14:06:00.001+01:00

Now where on earth is that hideous catchphrase from???

My humble new website, Mulberry-Dog has just had its one thousandth visitor. In celebration, I am having a little giveaway. This is the item in question.

If you would like to win it, either leave a comment here, or send me an email using this page. The draw will be on June 7th 2010 so get in touch before then or I can't put your name in the hat.

PS (You may need to read Gaaarrrgh before this post)

2010-05-19T14:24:00.001+01:00

Overheard in the playground earlier...

Why do the French eat snails?

Beacuse they don't like fast food. Boom Boom.

Gaaaarrrrgh

2010-05-19T12:57:00.000+01:00

Ever get the feeling that you are living in a parallel world? Everything is familiar but not quite all there?

Smaller Bean is at the stage where she asks continually 'Where is ____?' (Insert name at random.) She asks it about people in the room. She even asks the person she is asking where they are. At tea yesterday, she asked where Daddy was. I had kinda had enough of this questioning and told her that Daddy was in a rocket on the way to the moon. She told me he was at work. Gaaaaaarrrrgh. Small Bean thinks this is all extremely amusing and encourages it.

However, I am not immune to his random bonkersness either. He is really into telling jokes and thinks that his own jokes are particularly funny.

An example: Why did the chicken cross the road?
Because the flowers were green.
Cue raucous laughter from him and the tumbleweed blowing past me.

So I ordered him a joke book. It is one that I remember from years ago and it is still in print. Even the title is funny. He was very excited when it arrived and told some good jokes.

Then this morning... 'Mummy, what do you get if you cross a fork with a computer?'
'A coat.'
Cue tumbleweed, raucous laughter etc.

Think I need a holiday. Or a lot more wine.

Road Trip

2010-05-14T11:44:00.000+01:00

I have been invited to a Birthday Lunch. It is my aunt's 70th birthday and her family and friends are getting together to celebrate. However. She lives in Wiltshire and I live in Cambridge. It is a round trip of 6 hours driving. SIX HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!! I will have to pack a serious amount of good music and lots of snacks. The Small Beans are staying at home with Big Bean for fun and mucking about while I tackle the road trip alone. Although I am looking forward to catching up with the rellies and eating a slap-up lunch that I have had no part in preparing or even thinking about, I am just a teeny bit envious of the Beans staying here. I know they are going to have a lot of fun.

I made her these earrings as she loves pearls but looking at them again I'm not too sure if they are a bit on the large and long side for her. I love the little peridot chips- I think they lift the earrings a bit. While I had the Magic Bean Box out I carried on making and tried out a new design with my beloved hoops and some more pearls. It is for sale here, in my little shop.

And then, looking out at the fast disappearing blossom, I made these earrings. I think I will keep these for myself though- I really love a bit of a pink/green combo.

Well, I'd best be off to start making a pile of cheese and pickle on granary and sorting out some CD's. Wish me luck.

How?

2010-05-12T13:37:00.000+01:00

Putting all political opinions aside for a sec, just HOW did Dave (Cameron) remember all that speech by heart before he went into Number 10?

May Day Treats

2010-05-05T17:45:00.000+01:00

There was a birthday on May Day in our house. We had a rather delicious lunch here and spent a bit of time in the Farmers Market, where I bought a little bit of summer.

Deeelicious.

We had a peek at the chickens, a very grumpy turkey and this guy, who put on an impressive display for us.

The lovely woodland walk was closed because the sheep were lambing so we went back to Eversden Wood to check out the bluebells. Wow. They were indeed out.

We found this huge fungi growing on a tree. Still haven't worked out what it is. And this little egg from which I think a wee blackbird hatched.

We had a day filled with treats and I think that the Birthday Boy had lots of fun, even though his Missus burnt the Dundee Birthday Cake.

Chip off the old block???

2010-04-26T21:03:00.001+01:00

One of my Grannies was a dressmaker. She made beautiful clothes for people and of course her two daughters and then for her granddaughters. My mother inherited this talent and although she didn't have a stitchy career, she made almost all our clothes when we were small, way back in the seventies. She made suits for my dad, beautiful outfits for weddings and other big occasions, trousers. She made her own wedding dress and all the bridesmaids dresses. She made sofa covers, curtains and nearly all the costumes for The Big Show by Pat Brittans ballet group in horrible silky nylony fabric which she cursed A Lot because it didn't stay still in her Singer sewing machine. I have very vivid memories of having to stand still while she measured and pinned (often into me and they hurt MUCH more if you are tense and expecting them) and the anticipation of something new to wear was just so exciting and seeing it grow and evolve before your eyes was just fantastic. I have a really amazing memory of a little pinafore dress which was made using the offcut of some tweedy stuff Ma had used to make a pair of Jack Nicklaus flares for Dad. I just loved wearing that pinny- matching my tall Dad's legs- I was probably quite camouflaged aged 3.

Not only is my Mumma good at sewing ('cept she hasn't got the time any more- her social life is amazing) but she is Mrs Clicky Knitting Needles, too. She has in her day, knitted an Arran coat (COAT for goodness sake- just think of all that cable). I had a beautiful Fair Isle cardi, there were fishermans sweaters, Norweigan type jumpers, dolls clothes with the left overs; gorgeous gorgeous knitwear she clicked out in the evenings. And she still does. Mostly for the Small Beans and their cousins but the clicking goes on nonetheless.

Now. You may be wondering where all this reminiscing is all going. You may be thinking 'Good. There is a really strong gene for sewey, knitty creations here. I want to see what Magic Bean has made in her time.' Well. This gene. It is strong. But it is a tiny bit jumpy and it has missed me out! Yes, you did read that right. I am not a clicky sewey type. My sewing machine has palpitations when it sees me coming. It siezes up and the thread just says 'No'. My Ma dreads the days when she answers the phone and I am on the other end saying 'You know when you thread the machine and then...'

When I was pregnant with Small Bean I decided that this had to be addressed. I knitted him a scarf. It took me about 5 months. We still have it and Small Bean is actually very fond of it- he gets quite possessive if Smaller Bean wears it. When I was pregnant with her I wanted to make her something too. Just to be fair and equal. I found a monkey kit and started. Except I couldn't even cast on. Hormones? Not reading the instructions properly? Jumpy genes? I gave the kit to Ma and she polished it off in a couple of evenings. I sewed on the eyes. It took me about an hour. Smaller Bean is not all that keen on the monkey.

Then a few weeks ago, I was cycling past the wool shop on King Street in Cambridge and they were selling huge balls of wool for £1. A quid. And I thought one should be bought by me and made into something for someone else and after a bit of a juddery start, and a bit of unravelling and a bit of swearing, this is what I've made. And I am really pleased with myself. Just don't look too closely at the detail. Hope you like them Orla.

And yes, I do know they have no eyes, they are the Three Blind Mice.

Sorry Mrs Pankhurst

2010-04-20T18:13:00.000+01:00

Look away now if you are of a slight feminist disposition. This is one of my best things when the sun is shining. There is something very pleasing about hanging out the washing and seeing it dry in the sun and breeze. Sorry Mrs Pankhurst but there is.

Time Travelling

2010-04-19T18:50:00.000+01:00

Well, hello. We Beans have been away for a weekend to Sussex. We stayed in a beautiful oasthouse, near Uckfield. This is the view of the beams and rafters from the galleried sitting room. The Small Beans had the best beams though. They were in the roundy end but every time I remembered to take a photo of their amazing bedtime view, they were in there, supposedly sleeping. And they really didn't need any encouragement or distraction from their task. So that view won't be seen by any of you unless you visit Mallingdown Oast for yourself. I can't believe we were only away for three nights. It seems as if we have just come back from a fortnights holiday. We did pack in quite a lot, so maybe that's why...

Yesterday afternoon we hopped onto a shiny green steam train on the Bluebell Line and had a ride. This in itself is fun fun fun but imagine how much more exciting the return trip is when the trusty old puffer has to keep stopping so that the men in orange jackets can Put Out The Fires in the cutting! Yes. We were setting fire to the countryside as we went along. It was a bit too early for the bluebells. Maybe it will be too late as well.

On Shoreham Beach I picked up a few pebbles. I have to ration myself now, as our house was beginning to look like a shingle beach for a while. So, I allow myself to pick up heart shaped stones, or pebbles with a line in them. Or hagstones. (They have a hole going all the way through.)

And every now and then I am permitted to keep one which is not any of the above, like this gorgeous, fantabulous one which in cross section looks like a fried egg.

On the way home, this very morning, we went here, Bodiam Castle. It is magical. It has a real moat and ramparts and a very rare, original, wooden portculis. Beware of the many steep spiral stone stairs- I had jelly legs for quite a long time after, though that may be down to age as Small Beans was very springy until bedtime. I haven't even got that need-a-holiday-to-recover-from- my-holiday-feeling, so we must have had fun.

A good week

2010-04-11T14:01:00.000+01:00

This week has been a very pleasing one in the Bean house. There has been LOTS of this going on. Every morning I tell myself that there must be No More, but the delicious brown stuff just stares at me until I have to stop it by popping it into my mouth. Thankfully there is not too much left...

We have been outside much of the week. On Tuesday we went to Milton Country Park, just north of Cambridge, with some friends. The Beans ran and ran with their friends (Famous Five or what?) and of course we had an Easter Egg Hunt half way round. When we got home the Beans and friends spent the WHOLE afternoon in the garden in their swimmers, in and out of the sprinkler. Now, the weather has been gorg, but I think they were being a bit optimistic.

There has been a teensy bit of this going on this week, mostly in the evenings with a cold glass of white by my side. I have lots of ideas going round in my head but not enough time to get them done- a bit frustrating but nothing is too bad when the sun shines.

Yesterday all the Beans went off to Eversden Wood. This is a really magical place just up the hill from Wimpole. As we drove past Wimpole Farm and Hall, it was heaving with people, all having a great time, but just too crammed in togther for our liking. A minute up the hill and we parked and walked. For two whole hours we did not see another soul. There was a lot of mud, a muntjac deer and a hare. In a couple of weeks the whole wood is going to be covered in bluebells- I can't wait to go back and have a look.

Big Bean had packed the hammocks so after he had strung them up, they had a quiet(?) half hour swinging and talking...

...while I lay in the sun in a not so muddy bit looking up at the bright little hawthorn leaves and listening to a woodpecker. That is when the small Beans were not in hysterical laughter.
There has been increasing amounts of this too. Until I finished it. I feel a bit bereft without a good book on the go and this has been FANTASTIC. I found it a trifle slow to get going, quite disturbing in parts but gripping for the most part. I think I need a change of scene before I start the next installment, The Girl Who Played With Fire, but I am really keen to read it. Any recommendations would be gratefully received.
At home we have spent hours in the garden; eating, gardening, playing, reading and sitting. A little while ago we planted some wheat. This is how it's doing so far. Eventually we are hoping to be a bit Little Red Hennish and make a bread roll from the grain. Am I being totally unrealistic??? I have no idea how much wheat we'll need to make a bun. Mrs Mouse had quite a bit of seed from the last row and Smaller Bean is not very helpful in the garden so we may not even get this amount growing to its potential. I will keep you posted on how it's doing.

And suddenly everything is looking frothy and green and gorgeous. The pear blossom is about to burst and I have pots and pots of tulips all so near to opening. Grape hyacinths are my favourite and my best- I can't get enough of them in my garden. Or tulips. Or euphorbia. Or foxgloves. Or wheat...

Ready

2010-04-01T12:53:00.000+01:00

Well. The spring flowers are all beginning to look happy out in the garden despite it being blooming cold today. (Where is the sun hiding?)This dark little beauty has survived both the chilly spell and the grabby picky fingers of the smaller bean, quite an achievement in our garden!
The Easter branch has been suitably decorated by the beans and admired repeatedly by us and a few visitors... and I did a little bit of baking for the teachers. They definitely deserve a bit of a sugar rush after all their hard work this term. I had great fun making these chick'n'egg cupcakes. Don't you think they look quite charming? I'm sure they look much better than they taste though.

So, we're ready for Easter here, just waiting for that Bunny. And some warm sun. Hope you have a good one.

Outdoors

2010-03-28T21:21:00.000+01:00

On Friday there was a sudden downpour just after we had got back from school pick up. The small beans were outside playing with my godson (who spends so much time with us he is almost a bean) and they got very excited when they spotted an amazing rainbow. Actually, there were two, one very bright and another much paler one above it. They got bored of them long before me but I watched them until they had faded and gone.

They reminded me of the wonderful book by Jan Pienkowski- The First Christmas. Wrong season but all silhouettes and beautiful colour backgrounds just like this.

Then on Saturday we went for a walk in Thetford Forest. Usually, the Beans are very good at Spotting. However, no deer, rabbits, foxes or even smaller interesting beasties were spied this time but I did take some photos of tree alleys. I particularly liked this coniferous alley with a dead deciduous something right in the centre.

Rootling

2010-03-26T13:20:00.000Z

I rootled through my box of magic beans and found a little selection. It took a while to get a group which sat together happily but I think that these are quite cheery, don't you?

Then I cut some wire and chain and got some pins and a clasp ready.

I tried lots of combinations for the sparkly magic beans dangling order. Not too formal, but not too random either. Eventually this seemed to be a good seating plan. Then I started to twist and hook and snip.

Just when things were getting interesting, I had to leave everything on the kitchen table and go and collect a Bean from school and THEN take him swimming. So frustrating.

What seemed like ages later, I finished twisting and hooking and snipping. Hey Presto!! Here is the finished sparkly necklace. What do you think? If you like it, you can buy it. Just look in my shop.

Have a happy weekend.