Snow Day

 What a treat, a lovely snowy walk to school this morning through Old Town Gardens

In some places ours were the first footprints in the snow.

The sun just peeping over the houses ready to start making the snow glisten.

Miss E making her footprints in the untouched snow on the path around the snowy flower bed.

Miss M and her cheeky "it wasn't me who threw that snowball honest" face on!

What goes brilliantly with snowy days?  Warm snugly crocheted blankets that's what.  Shame my one is still work in progress.

I'm about half way I think, depending on how big I decide to go.  It is lovely and warm to have it on my knee while hooking away so I know it's going to keep the chills out when it's finished.

Dinos and Volcanoes

 I had a fabulous time on Friday morning at Miss E's Stay and Play at school making junk model dinosaurs.  Miss E has named hers Benosaurus.  Personally I think Sellotaposaurus would have been more appropriate!  There is no way this dino is going to fall apart!

I love the tongue she made for him.  Dinosaurs is Miss E's topic at school and to be fair she didn't warm to it at first, it's been a bit of a slow burn but she's enjoying it now thankfully.

And if junk model dinos weren't enough, Mr M and Miss E made Dino Bread yesterday.  Miss E often has a piece of the dough to make a mouse or hedgehog bread but we've not had a dino one before.

Miss E has very proudly and generously taken hers into school this morning to share with her classmates.  That spiky tail is going to be lovely and crunchy.

 

Once we got our dino mojo there was no stopping up!  Next up this purple pterodactyl, again with plenty of sellotape which Miss E seems to be obsessed with! 

Pretty fierce hey?

I just love the little feet she cut out after we looked at some images as I couldn't answer "how many toes do pterodactyls have Mummy?"  Four just in case you were wondering and couldn't quite work it out from this purple fellow...at least the image we looked at had four but I'm no dino expert.

You can have too much of a good thing though so as Miss E is convinced that the next topic will be butterflies (I think this is just her wishful thinking) we made a very glamorous butterfly too.

I'm rather jealous of these amazing eyelashes.

Miss M's topic is volcanoes and she was very pleased to be cast as a Volcanologist in her class assembly last week.  We borrowed a white lab coat from a friend and then donned some fake specs (as obviously all scientists where glasses!!) and made a security badge.

Can you believe Miss M is only 9 years old...this get up made her look so mature.

It was a fabulous assembly and everyone one in her class was brilliant.  They finished singing Bastille's Pompeii with great gusto.

Just in case you're wondering, the big purple flower is purely to cover up others who were in the photo background.

Winter Walks in January

Although, as I've said before, I'm quite a January fan and look at it as a time for making new plans and setting goals in place for the year...plans an goals that will undoubtedly change as the year goes on but it's a starting place for me never the less.

So armed with plenty of hand cream, lip balm and winter woollies here are some January highlights...

Stopping on an early January walk for a chocolate fuel break of hot chocolate and some goodies from our Christmas Section Boxes! Oh and a family selfie...cheese!

Miss M and I in our matching bobble hats and matching smiles.

Miss M and I in our matching bobble hats and matching smiles.

Hazy winter sunshine over the Wiltshire Ridgeway.

Just can't get enough of this sunshine and clear blue skies.

Sharing the field with a few cows but nobody else was about.

 Exploring the ancient iron age hill fort of Barbury Castle.

Running up a hill to keep warm although this photo doesn't really to the steepness of this hill any justice.

Hazy views over the Downs.

Heading back with muddy wellies, holding hands and smiling.

Yep more hot chocolate, it makes a good  walk into a great walk!

It's really tricky to smile for the camera whilst looking into the sun...

No we just can't do it, that sunshine is just too bright and lovely.

Sometimes we collect treasures on our walks like this massive stick!

And find secret pathways.

Mr M and Miss M playing the spotting game...

...and then having a hug.  Miss E is on a duck hunt with her bag of duckfood.

We live very close to Old Town Gardens and enjoy it at all times of the year.  Definitely one of my favourite places.

A late afternoon stroll and bike ride as the shadows get longer and the birds start to gather in the tree tops.

Miss E's pedal reflectors being lit up by the low sunshine

The very last rays of sun through the band stand before it dips behind the trees until tomorrow.

And for those days when it's too cold and wet to go out, we light a fire, put on some music and get out the board games.  One of our current favourites is Mr M's Super Pictionary.  Can you guess any of them?  Some of them we still a bit puzzling even when we'd had the answer revealed!!