Hey bogie nose

The last day of Smallest's Football Camp and he went off in a mood. His football boots hadn't dried from the day before and he had to wear his old ones. Too small and pinched his toes despite the fact that he only told us at the weekend that they were getting too small!!! He thought he had forgotten his water and had to spend the whole day drinking from the huge canister tap (I had put it in his bag and he was obviously too silly to see it). His bruises, bangs, cuts and sores were annoying him too. Plus to top it all he was very very tired and a little bit irritable. However he had a good time and now he can rest for a while until his next practice on Monday or failing that, his game on Tuesday. I put his football boots, almost dried and full of newspaper, on the line in the sunshine and then the rain came heavily down and we had to start again.

Huffle worked for half a day so that he could spend the afternoon with Small and I. We were supposed to go golfing but the weather report looked dubious and we wondered if we would fit it in the short space between lunch and picking up Smallest.

Small decided to spend the morning playing on his tablet and Xbox after he helped me with the dishwasher and picking up my weeds and transporting them to compost corner. I got to weed the front of the bed and dig it a little. Looks better but I really need to do a proper job soon. Too hot humid today and loads of skeeters (a new word I learned for mosquitoes). I got several bites today. I seem to have got much better with bites these days, except the horse fly that bit me on my waist and it swelled to the size of a tennis ball (flat not round like a ball obviously).

I used the morning to sweep and swiff and mop the downstairs and while I was sitting on the porch waiting for the floors to dry, I had a visit from a very nice polite Jehovah. He invited me to a convention (I was hoping it was comicon or something interesting but it wasn't). I told him there was no religion in our house and he said he could understand that in today's World. He asked if I was brought up in a Christian religion and I told him I wasn't brought up with religion at all really. He said as long as I was happy that was all that mattered and that he himself followed the bible and then he walked away wishing me a good rest of the day.

This afternoon we went off to Uxbridge and played several full and one half game of Cosmic Five Pin Bowling. Not an easy game in the dark, with a smaller than usual ball with no holes in it. The ball always causes friction on one or more of my fingers and makes them sore. I wrapped a tissue around one finger to see if that would help but I threw it down the alley with the ball. Huffle won all games and I either lost or came second. Small And I were inconsistent bowlers.

Next we tried two games of pool. This was fun but I am very out of practice. I used to be quite good but I've lost it. Small found it hard but his long legs helped when he had to straddle the table. We all enjoyed it.

On the way home we picked up baguette for garlic bread later and pizza dough for dinner. It was horrible dough and I much prefer our own. In fact the shop we went in to boasts Fresh Market style food but the strawberries were mouldy, the onions soft and the dough made really thin pizza (but that could be me because I rolled it out).

Huffle went to pick up Smallest And after his bath, we all had dinner and watched half of a Harry Potter. Huffle and I were starting to fall asleep. I have developed a cold. I still have my sore throat but now I have a cold and a blocked nose, a sometimes runny nose and my sinus' hurt, as does my head. BOOOOOO rubbish! I can't stop sneezing and Small is sneezing too. I think it's those nasty bowling shoes and balls!

Smallest, Huffle and I played Stop The Bus and Huffle and I played Catan Online while waiting for Smallest to get ready for bed. Small watched The Blue Jays.

WEEKEND!!!!!!

 

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Hello Peggy

Day 4 of Smallest's Summer Camp. It started out as cloudy and cool and ended up as an afternoon of pure drizzle and torrential rain. We got an email at 3:25 asking if we could pick the boys up as soon as possible as they were cold and wet. I tried to get there earlier but the weather was so bad, the rain was making it impossible to drive at any speed. There was aquaplaning and zero visibility. Then all of a sudden it all just disappeared. The kids, however, were soaking wet through. Smallest's ball had been picked up by another boy after we left yesterday and he returned it today but then Dans ball got lost today. Smallest said he had a good time but it wasn't much fun in the rain. Last day tomorrow. He has hurt feet, bumps, bruises and scrapes and sore chaffed groin. He had a nice long soak in the bath and a hot chocolate to warm him up and sudacream on his sore bits at bedtime.

Huffle worked at the kitchen table and the loft. We only saw him at lunchtime as he was so busy.

I had a nice leisurely breakfast and tried to watch a new series but I had trouble getting into it. I went into Brooklin to pick up a prescription and talk to the dentist receptionist about an estimate we had had from our insurers.

Mid morning, Small and I had every intention of playing tennis but he put me off until late morning because he wanted to do something on his tablet. Off we went in the car in case of rain and just as we arrived at the tennis courts it stared to heavily rain. We sat in the car and played on snapchat for a while (sorry to those that I sent sillies too but it did make us laugh a lot!). In the end we gave up and came home as it didn't seem to be stopping. Instead we played Catan, the Knights and Vikings one. We had to pause playing while we had lunch. Huffle and I introduced Small to Hyperdrive (a series from the late 90's) while we ate.

Huffle returned to work and we continued our game. Small won easily. Afterwards we payed several games of Monopoly Deal and then I went and picked up Smallest and he played on the X-Box.

MrBasement came round today to fix our dripping tap. He needed to fit a new cartridge again which is ridiculous as it is less than a month old. When he got home he took the old one apart and found some lumps of metal in there. He thought our water filter needed changing but now he wonders if it is from when we had our new water heater fitted. If it goes again, he will contact the manufacturer.

After dinner we all played Monopoly Deal, watched TV and Huffle and I tried to sort wool in the loft.

 

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Misty Martian

Moo got back okay this morning but did have trouble with the baggage carousel. She is home safe and sound now.

I didn't snore and we all had a good night's sleep. My throats is still sore but I feel so much better. The weather was hot and very humid again today. I took Smallest to his Camp and parked in my new spot which meant we were early. Smallest said that wasn't allowed as we should only be late or on time - we are never EARLY! I drove back home and had my breakfast and caught up on Poldark. MrsRoyal popped by for a quick visit and to bring me Lavender (for calmness!!!).

Photos from the tournament previously

Small (his neck is much better, still sore but more moveable) and I decided to go for a walk (his choice) along the lake towards the Bird Sanctuary. It was very misty over the water and got worse the longer we walked. It was also very hot and sticky and we had to have breaks sitting on the rocks which was breezier than the path. Our walk was cut short by some construction on the trail so we doubled back and had our lunch on some rocks. We ended up with mist all around us and we sat and watched the seagulls diving in the lake for fish. We thought the fish were very silly and not at all camouflaged. They were silvery and you could clearly see them under the water swimming. The birds could too because they were having a huge picnic of them. Eventually we walked back and got into the air conditioned car.

Once home we jumped into the 25* pool. Still cold for me but nice and cooling on the skin. We played bumper cars and hide and seek which apparently I'm not very good at! Back inside Small played on his tablet and I watched a bit more TV with a cuppa.

Late afternoon I drove to pick up Smallest from his camp. Red faced and sweaty, he was looking for his football. The club gave all the boys a ball each and each one looks the same except for their name we wrote on it. At the beginning of the day they are told to take their balls out of their bags (which I think is ridiculous) and Smallest didn't touch his ball but it was still used and it was lost by the end of the practice day. I've seen the kids kick the balls far away and they end up in the long grass or on a different field. We checked everywhere and found three other missing balls but not his so once I got home I sent an email to the administrator and it was found in someone else's bag!

I helped Smallest to run his bath and while I was looking for shower gel, I cut my finger on a razor so there was blood everywhere. Smallest opened the cupboard and the toilet cleaner had fell over so there was blue liquid everywhere and my blood ARRRGGGGGHHH. Smallest went in the bath (which incidentally the tap is dripping and MrBasement has to come tomorrow evening to fix it) and I cleaned up my mess and got Small to put a plaster on my finger. Dinner was made using Huffle's harvest of homegrown peas, beans and courgette. We had omelette, roasted Italian potatoes and corn on the cob.

After dinner the boys played on their tablets together (they're nice when they haven't seen each other all day) and Huffle and I played Catan. It rained early evening and we have huge storms predicted. The air con is on as it is unbearably sticky!

Today's best blooms

 

 

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Don's at the door

Apparently I snored all night long due to my nose being blocked. Whoops sorry Huffle. When I got up I felt quite rough. Very tired, sore throat still, blocked nose and a head that felt like a steamroller had squashed it. I made Smallest's lunch and then took him to his camp. I came home and had breakfast with Moo and then we went off mid morning for coffee break at work. I couldn't eat much but we had a lovely shortbreadbrownie and MrsM made sure we brought lots back for the kids and Huffle. Yum yum.

It was a very hot humid day today and we left work and pretty much had to pick up Smallest as he was only there for half a day today. We found a sneaky place to park which was really close and will be helpful for the rest of the mornings and pick ups too. He was just having his lunch and he was a red sweaty thing.

Back home we had lunch (well Moo and I didn't) and then we played Newmarket with the boys (Smallest won and I definitely lost). Moo and I played a couple of games of Skip-Bo and put some jacket potatoes in the oven for tea. We sat outside and enjoyed the breeze and I nearly fell asleep.

We all had dinner and then Small and I took Moo to the airport and Huffle took Smallest to his game. The airport run was no problem and we got there in plenty of time. It was very busy at departures but we managed to park right outside of the terminal and check in that we thought Moo wanted. Well that's a first and it's only taken us five years. Mind you, sometimes I go in with her and have a coffee but it was nice to get back before it got dark and although the traffic was bad on the way home, we got home in time for Small to watch the All Stars Baseball which he really wanted to see. Thank you Moo for a lovely visit, see you in December and thank you Small for keeping me company on the way home and making sure I didn't fall asleep! Smallest's game ended at 4-2, the referee was awful and Smallest got a boot in the head but he is okay. I ran him a bath so he could get straight in when he got home.

While we were sitting in the kitchen, Small looked out of the window, saw DonNoQuotey sitting on the porch and asked if he could see us. I told him to wave (thinking he wouldn't be able to see us) and he waved back. Ha ha, we didn't know he could see through our whole house. Arrrggggghhhh.

 

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Where are my shorts Grandma Moo?

My sore throat did not get any better. It kept me awake and I found it was getting more and more constricted so I took some antihistamines in case it was an allergic reaction and then later when it woke me, I took painkillers and sat up reading a book. This morning it was really sore but eased a little after breakfast and coffee. My tummy is a little off too and I have waves of nausea. So does Huffle and Small so I'm now wondering if it's a viral thing. Moo has escaped so far but Smallest now has his seal cough which we are keeping a close eye on. He knows how to check his breathing and we have the inhaler if it gets too bad. However the doctor did say we needed to rush him straight to hospital if it got bad. NO, not that again! He went to bed with a headache but hat could be too much sun and not enough liquid.

Huffle had to go into the office this morning so he was up early. I got up earlier than I would have liked to take Smallest to his Football Summer Camp. 25 minutes drive and a short walk across a field and a running track. Smallest was the only boy there NOT in a practice grey tee shirt. Apparently they told him yesterday at practice to wear it. Never mind. I took the blame and they said he would get a camp shirt anyway. He did get a shirt and it was fluorescent green and mucky! I had to wash it for tomorrow. Must be a man who thought it was a good idea to give them 1 shirt for a whole week!

I left him there and came home for breakfast. Moo and I had been invited out for coffee with Angel and we met up with her and her girls mid morning. We left Small behind watching Americas Got Talent. He said he would not play and watch all morning but when we got back he was still watching, though he had got changed and made his bed! We had a coffee outside in the sunshine while LittleSel toddled around us. We came home and collected Small and went off to CostCo. On the way we stopped for a grilled cheese at the Portuguese cafe.

Costco was the busiest I have ever seen it. We bought lots and tasted a few things and came home to put it all away. Small helped and Moo distributed Loo Rolls (a very important job). Moo and I then finally sat down with a pot of Peppermint, Chammomile and Ginger Tea and played Skip-Bo before sitting on the porch enjoying the breeze. So hot and humid today! No storms as forecast though.

As Huffle was in the same town as Smallest today, he decided to pick him up from camp. This actually took him longer than it would have taken me which is silly because he was much closer. Silly traffic! Smallest had had a good time and was shattered. He had a relaxing soothing Epsom salt bath while Moo and I made dinner (well reheated leftovers with some extras thrown in).

After dinner we had a mad rush looking for Small's shorts which were missing. We knew all the washing was done because Moo finished it all off yesterday and today but we couldn't find them anywhere. In the end Moo found them in the SunRoom but we don't know why they were in there. Moo and Huffle went to Small's game tonight where he won 3-2.

Smallest and I stayed at home and watched Ratatouille. I know it's been on many times but I have never seen it all the way through. It was very good and explains a lot considering we have Disney Monopoly and all references to ratatouille meant nothing to me.

Tomorrow is Moo's last day and as I have to take Smallest to camp again, there isn't really time to go to work so we have been invited for coffee break instead so she can say goodbye. Awwww nice.

 

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2 sponges and a bobby squeak

A nice lie-in for all and a breakfast of waffles with hand picked red currants which I now know I do not like. Too pippy and far too sour but Smallest, who eats lemons for fun, likes them. We also have a gooseberry bush with fruit on it but I don't think they are quite ripe yet. Again, too sour for me but I know they make a good jam when paired with raspberries (also just starting to ripen in our garden) and red currants. A lady in the Hamlet makes this jam and she calls it Roger Jam.

DonNoQuotey serenading us with his one piece of music (3 hours)

Smallest and Huffle went off to 'Acadamy' football practice. Small stayed at home and played on his tablet and Moo and I made two Victoria Sponges. One for us to eat and one for the BBQ we were invited to this afternoon.

In two hours we had completely made and iced two cakes and then we all played table tennis until the other two came home. Smallest had a great practice and the teams were all mixed up. Huffle is hopeful that the next game might be better now they can see who works better with Smallest. Fingers Crossed. Smallest is at a Football Camp for the following week with his Football Club so there will be no practices in the evening, just the game on Tuesday.

We had a slice of our cake and a cup of tea and then left for our BBQ at OldCoach's house. It was a lovely afternoon despite the weather forecast saying differently and we mainly sat outside. The kids all played football with some coaching from OldCoach (he just can't stop himself) and we sat and drank wine and dipped flatbread. Later OldCoach grilled the boys some sausage and steak and for us ladies portobello mushrooms and asparagus. We had a nice bean salad too. It was very nice.

The rest of the afternoon/evening we sat outside and had coffee/tea and cake. They all loved it and had no idea what it was called. There was lots more football and a bit of baseball and lots of sitting and chatting, mainly about football. We had a good time and I think the kids did too - they were non-stop playing.

I have a sore throat from the spice in the salad and my wee stinks like a skunk because of the asparagus. My eye has been running all afternoon and it's sore and swollen (could be allergy, could be who knows what) and I have bites everywhere. OMG Shoot me now!

 

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Table for Cold

Huffle had to get up earlyish in order to go and help MrRoyal put up signs and tables for today's Hamlet Garden Tour. He spent a couple of hours sorting it and came home with name tags for us all and a map of where the gardens were. Moo and I went for our pre-tour around 11am and visited four gardens, all very different. I didn't dislike anyone's garden, they were all nice in their own way. As we had time to spare we decided to visit the Masonic Hall to see if we could sneak away a couple of scones and there we met up with some people who we chatted to. We were given two scones and some jam (there was nowhere to put the cream) and we headed off to the garden that we were going to be looking after for the rest of the day.

Moo settled herself at her welcoming station and thoroughly enjoyed chatting to people and telling them to enjoy their garden visit. I had a Tour by the owner to see what was where and why and then I took over the garden Touring for the rest of the afternoon. It was a lovely meandering hilly garden with a fabulous waterfall and beds, a gazebo and a hidden meditative labyrinth behind some tall trees overlooking the Oak Ridges Moraine. It was a very peaceful garden and I enjoyed showing people around. Some wanted the full Tour, some wandered by themselves but I had long chats with a lot of them. We worked very hard for two hours and then MrsRoyal and L came to relieve us for 45 minutes while e got some lunch and checked onnthe rest of the family.

MrRoyal checking out the labyrinth

I walked down to check on Small who was the Welcome person at Garfunkels garden. Huffle and Smallest swapped with him after an an hour and a half and Huffle was relieved at 4pm. Moo and I went back to our garden and settled in for another two hours. It was a beautiful day in a perfectly lovely setting.

Some blooms in our garden

Huffle decided we were going out by ourselves for a 'date night' so when we got back we ordered Moo and the boys a huge pizza and we left them to it!

Huffle and I went to Port Perry. It was a beautiful evening and we went to a restaurant we haven't been to in the evening before. We had a lovely meal which was only marred by my allergy kicking in making my eye sore and runny for the rest of the night. Dinner was very good and we wandered through the town watching the fishermen on the lake. Huffle had an ice cream and we walked along the lake with the full orange moon reflecting on the water.

Back home Moo and the boys had eaten their pizza and played cards. Later we watched Who do yo think you are BBC with Charles Dance. Very interesting.

Lovely day and evening if not a bit tiring.

 

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