Would-be guest blogger: Hz

Mamma took me out today. She thought that my eyes had looked at the screen too long. We went to a place we go to fairly often. It's OK there, they have screens, you know. I managed to start up Explorer on a couple of the pooters but couldn't get to my favourite site. It kept giving this boring white screen with slots you could type those letter thingies in. The ladies who work there use this website all the time. I don't know why, it's totally unexciting. Anyway I decided to shut down all the computers in the place, bar one which was being used by another big person. The big people twittered to themselves as I skillfully manipulated the mouse. Really, all it takes is regular practice.
Then I found some strange shaped plastic items with big letters printed on them,which occur periodically on the shelves which house those rectangular cardboard things with paper inside. They were good for throwing, and generally scattering around the joint. However Mamma seemed anxious, the beads of sweat beginning to form on her brow, as she quickly slot them back inbetween the cardboard-covered things which this place is completely chocablock with.
The best thing today was the spinning rack full of CDs. If you spin it hard enough they all fly out and Mamma joins me in the pick-up-the CD game very willingly.
So I did like the trip out today, although the place could be improved by replacing those cardboard rectangles for something a bit more stimulating. Really, they take up most of the space. Now what was the name of that place, oh yes, the laibree.

It's harvest time!

We had many tomatoes on the allotment, it looked like it was going to be a bumper crop. August's rain put a stop to that and many had rotten before even ripening, so I decided to cut my losses and pick all the green tomatoes and make them into chutney.

It is actually quite delicious, even better than Branston Pickle if I do say so myself!

The balcony tomatoes were also disappointing but some have ripened and can be eaten in salads.

However we managed to aquire quite a bit of 'food for free': plums, and apples,

and I have my eye on the elderberries (that managed to avoid being picked by some crazy muslim woman making drinks out of their blossom) which may make a lovely pair with the apples I have left. We shall see if the energy exists to do this or that I buy the usual strawberry squidgy stuff from the supermarket....

End of the Summer

This Summer has been characterised by : Chicken Pox, Weeding, childminder-run, car problems, and not making it to the UK.
Or if you look at it another way: immunity, harvesting lots of salad, Hz starting to speak Swedish, and maybe a bit of Sabr..

The photos above are mostly of the activity day organised by the recycling (rubbish plant) centre at a nearby nature area that we went to on the last day of the holidays. They are cooking bread on sticks over a wood fire and enjoyed eating it. The children and their friends who came along made some entries to an art competition using recycled materials . They used an awful lot of spray paint (much enjoyed) and glue, and it is questionable as to how environmentally friendly this activity actually was!! They climbed some climbing walls, S shot some targets with a real gun and they got a horse and carriage ride. There was an opportunity to get a bus tour of the rubbish plant which actually I am quite curious as to what they really do with out rubbish. But that'll have to be next year as there wasn't really so much time, and the thunder and rain arrived and we decided to go home.
The buns are the only bread I've cooked for ages, I've really got out the habit which is a shame. Time seems to be at a premium nowadays, as the infrequency of my blog posts indicates. I've been under the weather and went to sleep around 9 pm last night with the litttle ones!

The school run is now really complicated with 3 places to drop them at. S has now got used to his new school I think. On the first day it brought back my memories of starting a new secondary school, with all the different classrooms to locate, and different subject teachers. 3 days a week he starts v early( around 8 am) and this is pretty tiring, alhamdulillah. Anyhow inshaAllah things'll get easier, especially if S agrees to take the bus by himself.
Eid coming up and as usual I'm completely disorganised, but as I may not get a chance to blog before then, wish you a happy Eid and that Allah rewards you for your fasts in Ramadhan.