A Sunny Bank Holiday.

Firstly I have to say sorry for being a rubbish blogger of late, the days are just running into one another. But I have been checking in on everyone and leaving comments for you all. I've just been bad at not doing my own post.
This ones full to the brim with lots of lovely photos of our Bank Holiday weekend last week, so I hope you enjoy it all.

Here is Jade getting the girls ready for the off. The sun is shining and we're off to the seaside. Yeay! they all cried.

We thought somewhere different, so Margate was chosen. And what a nice day to visit. There was a music and arts festival on. Live music from these guys was our favourite, they were very good. I love to hear the violin played well. And they where fabulous at it.

Bless this busker he was funny and you can see Jade and Daisy popping a few coins in his case. Daisy didn't quite understand that you couldn't take out any change for what she'd put in lol

And who said that if you can play the guitar and harmonica you're a genius but add some cymbals and your a mad man lol He was very entertaining and not a mad man at all. And didn't get mad even when a flaming group of hip hop rubbish set up just a few feet from him, he just turned up his volume and carried on. Good on him we said, his music was a lot nicer than that horrible noise from that other lot. (I must be getting old hehe!).

Further down the road there was some dancing bananas, which the girls where scared of and so was Ben don't look at them he kept saying lol
And there was a few crafty stalls to look at.

Where we got chips from someone had made these lady figures out of shells. Aren't they pretty? You could buy them too. I over heard a lady telling her little girl she wanted one for their back garden and the little girls face was a funny site of "are you mad Mum"? hehe!

Daisy and Molly loved them and had a great time in running around them in circles, much to Ben's distress. He was scared they'd knock shells off them but they just enjoyed it even more once Daddy had said no! stop running around them. Poor Ben they do listen sometimes lol

Bellies full of yummy seaside chips we headed for the beach. On the way stopping to look at this art work on a wall. Daisy seemed to be fascinated by it. I think it was all the colours, it was very pretty. Aww an art critic already at such a young age.

There they go off to the sea for some paddling. While Ben and I have a sit and chat.

And then they're back again for some digging and cold drinks.

Then more digging. Well eating of the sand in Daisy's case, (oh I give up telling her not too lol). As she just looks and laughs then carries on. sigh!
We finished our seaside day with yummy ice-creams. Lovely!

The next day brought lots of fun and bouncing at the Kent County Fair. Tickets booked we hoped for a sunny, dry day and got one.

In one of the tents there was a rabbit show and one of the biggest bunnies I've ever seen. He was so soppy and soft. But I wouldn't fancy picking him up, would you? You'd put your back out or something.

You can imagine my delight when Ben spotted the sign that read "Hold a chicken" for 50p well we gave the little lad £1.50 because he was so sweet and told us all about his beloved chickens. And let all of us have a stroke.

Molly and Daisy would of stayed there all day given half a chance. And I'd of been right there with them. Bless him he was talking to her the whole time and feeding her too. She seemed a very happy chicken and I want one of these breeds now more than ever.

She's called a Lavender Pekin, she didn't have a name but if she was mine I'd call her bunty after my favourite thing bunting hehe!

Isn't she lovely. So soft and gentle. There was a photo above the girls one but silly me I've just deleted it when moving them closer together. But in it my face just says it all. I'm as happy as a pig in mud lol

In the chicken tent there was all sorts of other chickens for sale, oh I wish we could of bought the lot. Especially the little chicks aww so cute. One day my dream will come true. For now I have this fabulous day to remember. Did I say I loved the chickens lol

The rest if the day was just as nice and the girls enjoyed a fun ride with Daddy on this little train. I think Ben enjoyed it too ;)

There was lots going on to stop and watch, tractor and horse parades, dog trials, people going up in this ride that you wouldn't get me on in a millions years hehe! it was like a bungee jump in a metal cage, not nice and I wouldn't of paid £10 for it. Mad people!

Anyway after a yummy burger, sausage in a roll, some chips, homemade cakes and lots of free testers in the food and craft tent. And some more bouncing on a big yellow castle for the girls. Enough was enough and we set off home. All tuckered out but smiling of the fun day we'd all had. If your ever around for this fair I'd recommend it.

Our Monday was spent popping to a boot fair, a pub lunch and a look at the new shiny Cath Kidston shop in Tunbridge Wells. Ended by some car shopping (yes ours is on it's last legs but more about that another time).

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and I won't leave it so long in between posts next time.

Big hugs everyone.

Back next week with news of this weekend and lots of lovely items from the postman and fairs we've been too.

I'm so glad the sun's shining, everything seems so happy.

Catherine x

Ireland break part two.

Sorry it's been a while getting back to you with the other part of our Irish break. You all know how it is. The weeks just run into one another.

Anyway here we are after going off on one of Ben's brown sign trips.

We spotted this tower in the distance and wanted to know what it was. So Mum and I popped into their local library and found out all about it and off we went.

The story is that a very nasty wealthy man is buried inside it upside down on his head and he built the tower so everyone would have to look up to him after he'd passed away. The same way they had to look up to him when he was alive. (Not a nice man). He thought that if he was buried upside down when the world ended it would spin around and he would be standing the right way up for his next life. Very odd don't you think. Jade and Ben sneaked right up to the tower like a couple of pirates coming in off their ships on to land hehe!

Your only really aloud to visit it on special tours. But nobody saw them or shouted "Get off my land" lol And Mum and I watched on from the car, laughing at them ducking and running across the field. Wish I'd taped that lol

Up here where this sign was it felt like we where on top of the world. All you could hear was the wind not even a bird singing. And the view was a full 360 degrees, it was amazing. You could smell the freshen. We walked up to this cross (no photos just yet they need moving round the right way) anyway it's a memorial to a priest that went up there to say a Christmas mass and was killed for doing so (not very nice). In that day and age they weren't aloud to do mass anywhere. Not even in the middle of nowhere. It was well worth the visit the sites where breath taking.

And the girls enjoyed running around and chasing their Nana, while she tried to keep them from going on the boggy land and sticking in it hehe!

More signs lend us to this tomb where the cat fairy's live lol I know it sounds crazy and it is probably a load of old rubbish, but it was fun just finding it in the middle of nowhere. If you click on the photo it tells you all about it.

One afternoon we drove up to the wind turbines for Jade so she could get close to one of them and have her photo taken. They are huge and make a funny sound. But in this photo this one looks small, it's just the angle of the photo. I don't understand why people moan about them, they don't look ugly to me. Lets make the world a greener place is what I say.

So after a party, yummy birthday meal for Mum, days in the park playing and lots of brown sign trips. Ben and I had the last evening to ourselves. The little ones tucked up safe in bed, Jade just home from pony riding with her best Irish friend Ashley and Mum and Dad happy to babysit (if you can call it that when they're fast asleep lol).

We set off for a bit of ghost hunting. Armed with the camera, some sweets and juice we drove off into the unknown. Oooow!

This old church was in the middle of nowhere Ben got out and walked up to it. I was more of a chicken and stayed in the car with the doors locked. I just didn't fancy it and it was very cold. There is something about churches at night, the mind just works over time on all the odd noises. Cool photos and brave Ben.

We came across this very scary looking deserted house. When we where looking for the real ghost house. I wouldn't want to stay there on my own. Eerie isn't it?

Driving around the lovely Irish country side at dusk is so very different to the bright sunny day time. And after going up and down lots of curvy roads, we stopped at another field with an old house in it and was going to get a snap of it when a young farmer on his tractor drove over and asked if we where alright. "Yes thanks we're just out looking for the ghost house" oh right he said it's just up the road a bit. You're see a break in the trees like a track. So off we went and here it is. The entrance to the Coonian Ghost house.

As you can see it was getting a little to dark to go right in and explore, so Ben just jumped across a ditch to the path that leads up to it. He took this photo and on the top left corner there is an orb. I really didn't like the feeling of the place at all and felt a little sickie. We only discovered this orb when looking through the photos in bed that night. And it freaked me out. We would never of been silly enough to try and find the house in the dark not even with a big torch and 2 burly Irish blokes by our sides lol Very scary looking place. Maybe next time we're come back in the day light, that's if I'm brave enough lol

If you want to find out more about the house just Google it. There are a few stories from people that have been there and experienced things. I myself had a huge sore bump come up on my right leg the following day. It got worse as the week went on and I had to take antihistamines for it. When I told my Mum about it the first thing she said was "you didn't up to that ghost house did you?" so maybe there is something in it. I'm all better now but it did make me think there is something not right about that place even now after all these years. Ooow! lol or maybe I just got bit by something.

Anyway we all made it home in one piece to England and enjoyed our trip to Ireland. It holds lots of memories to keep with me when I want to think of Mum and Dad.

Thank you both for having us all and our noise lol

Have a great weekend everyone, we're off to the Kent County Fair, lets hope it doesn't rain or we're be muddy ducklings lol

Ta ta for now.

Hugs.

Catherine x

13 years together. Happy Anniversary x

Happy Anniversary Mum & Dad.
13 happy years together, they met in London and lived only two doors away from one another.
They'd said hello to one another in passing but really hit it off when Dad came round to fix Mum's shower. And bless them now 13 years later, they're both retired living in Ireland where Dad comes from and their lives are full of friends popping round, days out, yummy meals, card making and their church. They are so very happy and we are happy for them.

Enjoy your special day and have a lovely meal together.

Lots of love x

Hugs.

Catherine x

When will I, will I be famous?

Well Ben didn't have to wait very long lol he was working up in his works London office on Monday and on popping out for lunch, came face to face with the crazy haired Boris Johnson, who was out and about doing his bit running for the Mayoral Elections.
If you forward it to 6.44 Min's and look behind the lady confronting Boris there's our Ben looking very cool in his suit. We just rolled around laughing last night when we saw it on the Channel 4 news and taped it from the hour later show on 4+1.
I was chuffed to find it on the website this morning and just had to share it with you all.
http://www.channel4.com/player/v2/player.jsp?showId=11867 Ben's couple of seconds of fame lol. I love the way he ducks out of the way hehe!

So here he is my gorgeous man. Loved so very much by Molly and Daisy. He's proud and devoted father.
Always clowning around and making everyone laugh and smile. Peek-a-boo!
And he gives endless love and tlc when his little ones are feeling sickie. Ready with big snuggles and kisses.
We love you Ben so very much and I wouldn't change my life for anything. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.

And want to shout it at the top of my lungs I love you Benjamin Short now and always. x

Enjoy this post everyone, I'm sure all of you have that someone special in your lifes that makes you feel all yummy inside. I just wanted to share mine with you and thank him for everything he does.

Hugs.

Catherine x

Irish Break Part One. Happy Birthday Mum.

After leaving Gatwick having been asked all the normal questions,"did you pack the bags yourself"? and "has anyone interfered with them"? or "have you left them unattended"? Yes! to the first and No! to second two. On to the departure bit and poor Molly was very upset about having to look at the woman trying to get our photos. She wouldn't look at her and we had to hold her head up by force. People must of thought we were trying to steal her. Not the best start to our journey. And then anything and everything has to come off for the x-ray machine. So off came belts, coats and shoes. And all bags, keys, paperwork and lose change went into the little red boxes. And met us on the other side. Thankfully it seemed to be very quite and we got ourselves together in no time.
Only to be told by all the screens to relax and shop until our gate number appeared. lol
A short and peaceful flight we arrived in Belfast, bags collected and car signed for off we set towards Mum and Dad's. Stopping only for a yummy Subway and a much needed coffee for me.
We settled in at Mum and Dad's and popped out to the hall on Friday to hang the bunting, balloons, sort the food tables and chairs for Mum's birthday party on Saturday.
Here's the beautiful birthday cake made by one of Mum's friends, Hazel. A big thank you to her for making it and yes it tastes as look as it looks. Soft sponge, jam and butter icing inside.

Here's the birthday lady herself cutting it. The whole party went very well about 55 of her friends turned out and Hazel the cake lady sorted out a couple of party games. The funniest one was pass the parcel with a twist. A load of plastic bags where thrown on the floor and a piece pf fabric was pasted around the room. When the music stopped who ever was holding it had to pick up a bag. Which had a funny item of clothing inside. By the end of the game the room was filled with people of all ages dressed in bras, knickers, hats, clown trousers, nighties, tights and lots of other funny looking items. I think Mum said the oldest lady who got the clown trousers was about 88 lol it was something I won't forget in a long time hehe! Jade and her friend Ashley found the whole thing funny and creepy (their teenagers). And as for Ben and I well being 30 somethings we kept right out of it and hid at the back lol I know party poopers! sorry Mum
I did say the hello, welcome and thank you all for coming speech at the beginning of the evening and most of the guests I'd never met in my life. Ben said I was very brave. Thanks sweetie x
The evening was a great success and Mum really enjoyed it. Good food, good friends and family and yummy cake. We all fell into bed about midnight the little ones where tuckered all out then.

We didn't get any other photos of the party just due to getting all court up in flow of things. So sorry no cute pictures of the girls in there party outfits, or Ben and I in ours. Or of any of the other goings on. I forgot to put the music on in the hall too lol But nobody seemed to notice.

Ben did set his new toy up (yes he got himself a shiny new camera before we left). And he took this lovely photo of all of us. (Please don't look at my belly, that's to much birthday cake, oh the shame) Back to calorie waiting tomorrow, honest wink wink!

I'll leave this post with three photos of all mu Mum's birthday cards, wow how many can one woman get lol I don't think I've ever had that many. It was lovely to see her face every time she opened a new one and she seemed so proud to tell me who each and everyone came from. Bless her.

Glad you had a special birthday Mum, it was great to be with you for it.

Back with part two of our Irish trip, with brown sign trips, birthday dinners and ghost hunting stories.

Hugs for now.

Catherine x

Hello we're back from our break.

Well hello there!

We're back from our family break in Ireland will lots to tell you all. That's Jade in the photo on top of a field her and Ben climbed up.

Just need a day to get back into things first.

Many thanks for all the lovely comments left on my post while I was away. It's good to be back and I've popped in on a few of you already. It's funny but I get withdrawal symptoms from you all if I don't have my daily fix of blog lol

I can't be the only one that suffers from this hehe!

Back soon with all the news and fun in Ireland.

Kisses.

Catherine x

Bon Voyage.

See you all very soon with lots of news from my short break. Missing you already :(

I'll leave you with a couple lovely items.
The first photo is one of my new little projects. Two brooches in pretty fabrics. £4.50 if any ones interested please just email me for all the details.

The second item is a cute Easter card my clever Mummy made for the girls. This is one of my favourites. She always makes us cards and does lots of craft days at her local WI meetings.

Thanks Mum it's so sweet. x
And lastly look what gorgeous pink item came for me from the fabulous Alison over at Vintage Amethyst.

Her beautiful new website is open for business, so hop on over and have a look. It's full of lovely hand painted signs and vintage goodies. Just follow the link http://www.vintageamethyst.co.uk/

Many thanks Alison, I love it and will be back for another look very soon. X

So that's it from me for a while now, I'll be back in a week or so with lots of news.

I will be checking in on you all from time to time. When I can get to the computer at my Mum's lol

Big hugs.

Catherine x