bits and bobs....

Well, im not sure where to start really, its been a busy few days!
Of course sunday was mothers day, there was no lie in to be had for me unfortunately though! My mothers day gift was a beautifully handpainted pot of pansies from Ruby, two little metal fairy ornaments from each of my daughters, and of course, some beautiful handmade cards, to go with the more 'commercial' ones! All the goodies had been 'expertly' hidden under the sofa, they were immensly excited to reveal all!

I truely feel so so blessed to have such wonderful little girls, this year was of course tinged with the sadness of a mummy of two little boys, who lost her battle with cancer on this special day. Jade, rest in peace sweetheart x

I had to celebrate two mothers days!, saturday, was devoted to my wonderful mum, i baked her favourite-a coffee and walnut cake, and treated her to a nice watch from NEXT which she'd been admiring but had told me not to get her, she LOVES watches so i did anyway!

She was thrilled and we had a lovely day doing nothing much but enjoyed it all the same.

On sunday morning we all headed to Winchester car boot sale, i knew it would be an early start, so Poppy stayed at nana's on saturday night as there are 2 of them there to help in the morning(mum and mandy) as opposed to only one of me!

Ruby went out sowing barley on the tractor with daddy, and delivering Mrs P's mothers day flowers, first thing on sunday morning, so i only had myself to drag out of bed- with no milk in the fridge so i couldnt even have a coffee!

Nevertheless the possibility of finding a bargain kept me going!....I managed to pick up a few bits...

Some beautiful old pudding bowls, a teapot AND crochet cosy, some boards of lace and a candy striped pillowcase(today in the charity shop i also picked up a large single sheet and pillowcase to match the one from sunday, and two more with a bit more lilac in them!)

2 hours later i was pleased with my bargains i think i spent three pounds on these bits, good eh?!, and Poppy was happy that she'd got a new beanie baby kitten, so it was back home to collect Ruby, she'd had a great time looking through daddys binoculars watching the deer, and the seagulls who follow the tractor along.

We had a day planned with my dad and his wife, my step-mum, so we popped home for a quick change, and once they'd arrived and cards and gifts opened, we headed to a place called Mudeford, in Christchurch.
Firstly we had a lovely carvery sunday pub lunch(and chocolate fudge cake for pud!) then strolled along the quay.

Only two miles from Christchurch, Mudeford is a charming fishing village lying at the entrance to Christchurch Harbour, a mecca for water-sports enthusiasts and fishermen.
The picturesque quay with its lobster pots, old fishermen's' cottages and Haven House Inn has been traditionally linked with smuggling over the centuries.
Nowadays it is not only the centre of the local fishing industry, where fresh fish can be bought from the fish stall, but also a beautiful spot to sit and watch the world go by.

The water was so still...
You can catch the ferry to Mudeford Sandbank, a unique spit of land, which adjoins Hengistbury Head, forming a natural barrier between the harbour and the open sea. Its an ideal spot for a relaxing walk and is easily reached by ferry.

We stopped to watch about 20 swans for a while, enjoying the beautiful sunshine-it was so warm, with no breeze, lots of men were even shirtless!
Lots of people were using lines with bait on to catch crabs, the girls were fascinated to see them in peoples buckets of water.

After some time in the play area we headed down to the sand, Ruby was desperate to paddle in the sea, and how could i refuse? (thats the isle of wight in the distance)

A year ago she was terrified of putting her feet in the sea, my how things have changed!...She didnt stay dressed for long, tights were taken off and dresses were tucked into knickers, Poppy mostly spent her time collecting shells, shes becoming more and more interested in the natural environment around her, much to my delight, she eventually collected over a hundred! She also paddled but was more interested in her treasures

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Would you believe it was so sunny i even witnessed some sunburn?!

Ater a couple of hours we persuaded the girls it was time to head home, they were getting quite sleepy by half past two and our day wasnt quite over.

We took a long drive back through the new forest so we could take in the beauty of it, and to let two very sleepy little girls have power naps.

There were lots of forest ponies grazing, and some cattle. Everything looked so beautiful bathed in afternoon sunlight as we drive through the dapple of the trees, we're so lucky to have it all on our doorstep.

Back home it was time for a lovely bath and a hairwash to get rid off all that salty air.
Nana returned to collect Ruby for the night(god it must sound like im constantly shipping the girls out-its not like that honest!) as i had an early start at work the next day, and Poppy and i got our special dresses on, ready for another mothers day meal out(the diet starts next week!)

Daddy returned from a long day in the fields and we spent the evening at our favourite pub for a mothers day meal with 10 of his family,...and the giving of gifts. We(i) got Mrs P; some Pink fleece Hunter welly liners and 2 cinema tickets to see Marley and Me, which she's desperate to go see as she says the book was fab.

The little lady was very tired so it wasnt a long night, but a lovely one all the same.

Now my house is a complete state, and i had a full day at work yesterday, a kids party to get organised for a tea party at home tomorrow for Rubys 4th, presents to wrap, cupcakes to bake, school runs, food shopping-I should be a trim size 8 by the end of the week,....dontcha think??

Now for a mummy moment...

Im conscious that i need to make the most of my time left with Ruby as she'll be starting school in september, so on the way home from pre school today we stopped off to say hi to the local donkeys in the New Forest...

This particularly cheeky one was very friendly towards Ruby!, her face was a picture, im so glad i caught this on camera, bless her.

I hope you all enjoyed your weekends xxx