Planning

This Saturday it is time for the monthly children's fun club my wife and I help lead. We normally run an initial 30 minute section of fun and wacky activities to start things off and its about the time of the month when I start frantically thinking of ideas for fun stuff to do. Though I wonder if we need to plan anything at all as a group of children can normally amuse themselves if left to their own devices. But then again I like to think we can add something to their lives by planning something that will amuse and please them. And if it helps us to get to know each other as well then so much the better.
Any ideas for games or activities for 30-40 children aged from 5- 11 would be appreciated! If they are a bit messy, cheap and easy to organise then that would be ideal.

Monday

Yet another Monday. Our new boss had all us workers into his office for 'drinks' today. I suppose it was ok. He says that he wants to change the culture of the company, that he feels that we are all a bit miserable. He said that when he visited one of our offices he "felt like slitting his wrists"! (This is the office they announced they are now closing and relocating all their jobs to my office).
The strange thing is that the office can quite often be a lively place - just not when the management are around. Perhaps if we felt more secure in our jobs and valued as employees we would feel freer in our happiness!

Easter Hols

This Easter holiday has been ace. From friends round to play to going to our favorite places: the zoo and the waffle house being but a few. Here are some photos taken over the past two weeks.We have been busy! It has been lovely to catch up with close friends and family, celebrating Easter and Birthdays. We are looking forward to the summer ahead to seeing more of our friends and being together as a family. xxx

The Weekend

Well it's the weekend. It's supposedly going to be a hot day today so probably a good day to tidy up the garden. There is also a lot of tidying to be done in the loft - now we can get up there easily there is far more scope for storing and sorting out the rubbish we have previously shoved up there but there is still some more flooring to do - a lot more really, but there is a section that needs doing as it is right in the way of everything and couldn't be done before because of where the pipes to the boiler were going to go.

I am quite looking forward to tidying the garden as I got a cast iron chimnea from my mother and brother in law and I can't wait to burn stuff in it. I had a little go the other day but there is far more scope there for pyromanic fun.

Nothing much happening

After all the excitement of the boiler and my birthday there is not a lot happening. The company meeting at work was to announce that the other of two offices that my company works from will be closing and the staff will be relocating to the office I work at. This has left some very disgruntled people at the other office, but apart from scrunching up to make room has no great bearing on me. They are also, at the same time, reorganising the structure of the department I work for so this will affect me but its not clear in what way yet.

Well Done!

I forgot to mention - all that hard work going to the British Museum paid off. Our eldest came second with her Egyptian school project. To see her face when I collected her from school that day was a prize in itself for me. She won a lovely book about Egypt, not to mention the £5 she received from grandad and the day out treat my Mum is treating her too. I hope all this encourages her. It definitely paid off. Well done. I’m so proud of you!

Happy Birthday!

Today is Your Birthday. I just want you to know how much we love you

Have a wonderful day!!

Love your Mrs xxxx

100 hundred posts and number 1!

This is my one hundredth post and I am coming first in a google search for "a normal bloke". Not bad for a birthday treat. Other birthday treats include two nice shirts, a Jamie Oliver cookbook, two other books, breakfast in bed, a gilet, two dvds and more to come...

Happy Birthday To Me

It's my Birthday!

Places I Have Been

Google now lets you create maps of place markers very easily. Here is a map of places that I have been to.

Back at the office.

Back at work in the office after a week working from home. In some ways it's nice to be back but the drive was as long as ever - though not as bad a usual as the schools are still off for Easter. I miss my home comforts and enjoyed being home as soon as I had stopped. We are having another company meeting this week - so who knows what will be happening. It seems likely that there will be some redundancies as well organizational changes. Hopefully they will be positive things but I'll just have to wait and see...

Dare Devil Boy

My youngest is a boy and seems to know no fear. Well he knows a few but going down the slide head first isn't one of them...

Easter on the Beach

On Easter day we went to the beach with my parents and our children. It was very sunny and very nice.

He is Risen!

Happy Easter.

Fireplace

Now we have removed the fireplace in our back room we can see our 1950's tiled fireplace. I am not sure if I like it or not - it has a certain elegance and does complement the decor. It is definitely a vast improvement over the gas fire that sat in front of it. Perhaps we could even have a fire in it - that would be fun.

20 degrees

We have heating and hot water. It's lovely. I'm going to have a bath and everything. We can just turn on a tap and steamy hot water comes out. Gone are the electric heaters. The wild flashing of the electricity meter has ceased from the units used. Thanks to everyone who helped us survive - for fan heaters, electric radiators, for showers and baths and even a whole house! We couldn't have done it without you.

We've also been brought into the 20th century with a thermostat and separate hot water and heating circuits. Though our last central heating system seems to have been at least 20 years old if not many more and so it has done well. Here's to this one lasting well into this century.

Plumber Ahoy!

For those who were worried about our lack of a plumber - fear ye not. He has arrived and the boiler is in place. Ok so there a lot of pipes and stuff that still need connecting up but all seems to be going well so far. Best case scenario is hot water tomorrow night.

Here's praying for that!

Still waiting for the plumber

We are still waiting for our new boiler - the plumber was called away to an emergency. If us not having a boiler is not an emergency then I don't know what is but perhaps there is an old people's home full of frail old people who need a plumber more than we do. I don't like to ask.
All being well the plumber will be here tomorrow - my breath is bated at the ready.

Butterfly

Whilst we are on the subject of bugs - I found this butterfly on the living room floor:

Bugs

My children love bugs. Woodlice, snails, ladybirds. You name it they are fascinated by them.