Wet Wet Wet

OK... so we CHOSE to live on the very same lane as the World Wetland Centre, and just maybe we didn't do the 2+2 math, you know "World", that must be the biggest one then, the microcosm, the most extreme one in all of humankind, on the planet! "Wetland", Mmmm "wet" being of water, and "land" being a topographically or functionally distinct tract. "Centre" ahhh now then, according to my dictionary that is "a place where some particular activity is concentrated". SO... 2+2 actually equals the largest or most significant topographically centred place for getting wet, in the world! And WE chose to live here.... nobody made us do it! So we accept that it is perhaps the 'norm' for it to rain quite often around here... but now it's getting a wee bit tiresome!



This afternoon the doorbell rang and I answered it to find 2 cows, 2 pigs, 2 rabbits, a pair of stoat, and 2 robins, 2 geese, 2 ducks, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 frogs, 2 hamsters, 2 foxes, 2 doves, 2 starlings, a brace of pheasants, 2 rats, 2 sheep, 2 lamas, a horse, oh and another horse, 2 snails, 2 iguanas and... well, I'm sure your getting the idea. I've started growing a long white whispy beard and have taken to standing in the front garden, in my new robe (fashioned by Linda out of an old curtain, ok, a pair of old curtains) and holding my arms aloft, wooden staff in my hand and shouting at the sky "I'm ready to do my duty Oh Lord but when will it ever cease!?"



Oh you think I'm exaggerating don't you? I thought so... Well last night Linda and I ordered a takeaway as we've both been a little under the weather... Pun intended! We decided that some good hot Jalfrezi and a little red wine was just the sort of thing to see off the bugs, of which there were of course two, and after ringing to chase our order several times, this was the scene when the food eventually arrived, 2 hours late!



To some people, rain is little more than a minor inconvenience. The kids can't play out, one has to carry around an umbrella, our new hairdo gets ruined and the grass is too bogged down to cut. For others of course rain is far more disasterous, farmers crops get ruined, football matches get called off, peoples houses flood and their lifes possessions end up as piles of detritus on the front lawn to show the TV cameras, and yet for around 30-40 thousand of the residents of this lovely, charming little lane on which we live, it's absolute heaven. And I hate every single, quacking, flapping, preening, "I don't care how much it rains", pointy faced, web-footed one of them! Now, where's my gun?

So much to do...

Sorry we haven't posted for a couple of weeks, it's all been a bit mad and will continue to be so over the next week or two. LOTS to write about, concerts, meals, school progress, holidays imminent...

Hopefully will get the chance to post some updates this weekend :-)

L&A
xxxx

The Duck and The Otter

I purposely left out the word 'soup' from the title to avoid giving the real subject of the first part away. Yes, I'm afraid we went to Ye Horns Inn last weekend :-) Linda treated us to a 'sleepover' last Saturday as we didn't have the girls on the Sunday, and the weather has turned rather cold, windy and miserable and she thought we needed warming up. So we pootled off, booked in, and before we could say "Soup and Duck please" Linda was perched in her favourite chair with a warming glass of something red.


Of course we had to do the full 5 course 'thing' with hot buttered potted shrimp to start (delicious!), and then Mrs. Woods' famous beef and vegetable soup, the curer of all ails...


Then came a truly shock decision from me! I've been to Ye Horns once or twice now since I met Linda and yet I have NEVER had the roasted duck! I know... but it's true. I always somehow get distracted by the steak and kidney pie or the lamb, or the lamb and sometimes... even.. the lamb! I was very brave on this occasion however, and after much time deliberating and deciding and then changing my mind and then deliberating and eventually deciding, we had to call in a counsellor, a whole team of therapists and even a hypnotist, but I somehow managed NOT to order the lamb. There... I've said it! So at long last I tasted the infamous roasted Goosnargh duck for the very first time and OH MY!! I have to say that it was rather good :-p..


So with what little space was left, and bearing in mind that I didn't have to drive home for a change so I could foresee a couple of pints of Spitfire coming my way by the roaring fire before bed, I plumped for this little treat. Yes, Bread and Butter Pudding! Wow!


Eventually, after much groaning under the strain of our waistbands as we forced down one or two further beverages sitting by the fire, we rolled back to our room like a couple of Weebles.

Next morning after breakfast we went to Newby Bridge in the Lake District to visit these chaps below...


I can highly recommend this place, http://www.aquariumofthelakes.co.uk/ it's well laid out with lots of interesting 'touch' pools, and as well as the Otters there are harvest mice (smelly but still cute), reptiles and other small and cute fluffy things to see. Best of all is the underwater tunnel and viewing bowl where you can watch lots of fish varieties and ducks swimming and diving in what is a representation of Lake Windermere itself.


We watched the Otters for about 40 minutes as they were so gorgeous and entertaining. After the aquarium we had a fabulous drive up the west side of the lake through some beautiful autumnal scenery as Linda made as many references as possible to what a shame it was that I hadn't planned ahead and therefore let the batteries run down on my camera. Still, it really was that stunning and special that perhaps on this occasion it should stay secret and sacred where it is, locked away for ever in our memories.

Then came the dangerous bit... a very scary shopping trip to the big 'Lakeland' store in Windermere where after a nice lunch we managed to buy all sorts of 'stuff' that we just don't need! You know how it is :-)

Andrew
xx

Cool !

Well.... It's official, Linda and I are "Cool!!".

I guess we always suspected it really, and I'm sure that it doesn't come as any surprise to you all, but on Wednesday evening several groups of teenagers who'd dressed up like Marilyn Manson, Freddie Kruger or Peter Cushing, or wearing 'Scream' masks, and then some small children who had dressed up as witches and monsters, and their accompanying parents, actually told us that we were "Cool!!", so there!

Well... actually, what they said was that our house was "Cool!!" and "Ace!" and "Wow!" and "Really Really Good!!", so that's near enough for me. The following pictures will hopefully explain all this a little better than I've done so far.


It was the build up to Halloween and Linda had been shopping, oh, and then shopping! So we set about hanging 'cobwebs' everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE! once you start with that stuff you can't get rid of it, it follows you around and pops out of places you'd never imagine and appears when you least expect it to. You brush you hair and it's there tangled up in the brush (well... not me obviously), you brush your teeth and it's there, you get into the car to get away from it and its all over the dashboard, you arrive at work and it's tangled around your i.d. badge lanyard and even when you eat your sandwiches, that you've been out to buy from Marks and Spencers, it's there... in between the bread and the cheddar! See below....


Then there's the Bluetak! how come when you're putting stuff up with that stuff it won't stick, and then when you try to take the same stuff down 3 minutes later on it won't bloody come off?! is it me?


Anyway, back to the scary bit. Linda festooned the house with webs, more webs, and spiders of ALL shapes, colours and sizes. She even scared herself several times by forgetting which of them were plastic and which of them were "Andrew!! Come here... oooohhh I don't like it! I'm not sure about that one, I don't remember putting that one there". Then there were a dozen glow-in-the-dark skellingtons, a squeaky rat, some pumpkin and spider 'fairy'' lights on of the box bushes, more chuffing cobwebs, bats, candles, a grave stone with flashing eyes, and of course, a pumpkin jack-o-lantern.


The children thought it was fab and came from all around, and I'm sure that some of them came back in different masks later on. They were greeted by a VERY excited, no... you don't understand, I mean VERY excited!!, Mrs. Drummond presenting them with an enormous Halloween bowl of sweeties and choccies.


The very brave were even given spider rings. I say the 'very brave' because some of them wouldn't approach the house due to the bellowing "Scream" CD that Linda had bought just to add that finishing touch to the Munsters Mansion, and...., to top it all off, the doorbell was decorated with its very own spider. One tiny little witch braved the music, the gravestone and the cobwebs and then hurried back down the drive as fast as her broomstick would allow, hanging on to her pointed hat saying "Mummy I don't like it, I don't want to press it!!" She eventually came back when Mortitia opened the door and brandished Cadburys Caramel in her direction but she refused to take a spider ring 'cos she "don't like spiders so I don't want one!" I'm surprised we didn't get arrested :-)


The kids around here really enjoy Halloween and they put a fantastic effort into their costumes and make up. So it's only right that we made effort too and it all made Halloween a very enjoyable and memorable evening.


I daren't even think about what Linda will have ready for next year!!

Lots of love and don't have nightmares

Herman
xxx

Spot the Beaver

Good news, Katie is feeling a whole lot better but she decided that she didn't wish to go horse riding today. So..., we decided to go and see our new neighbours this afternoon, the family of Beavers that have just arrived and settled in at Martin Mere. We made the 1.5 mile journey VERY excited and sat down to a very nice home cooked lunch when we arrived. The shop is, as you'd expect, full of 'Beaver' merchandise. Katie already had her beady eye on a stuffed toy Beaver... Mmmmmm She has a reputation for buying the odd stuffed toy! The BBC arrive this week to start setting up for the next series of "Autumn Watch" and there are pictures and posters everywhere of Kate Humble, Bill Oddie, Simon King and of course... the Beavers! VERY exciting. So we ambled around the Mere pointing and 'aawwwwing' at all the downy ducklings and goslings and the young and fluffy Flamingos, eagerly anticipating the spectacular of the new residents.




I even started to do my brilliant and hilarious best impersonation of the whistling Beaver from The Lady and The Tramp. Then we finally arrived at the "Eco Garden" and the sign greeting us below added even more to our excitement.



Alas... that was as good as it got! There was plenty of 'evidence' that there are some kind of large gnawing mammal in residence, lots of trees on the floor with teeth marks around the base and lots of piles if wood shavings, but the animals themselves were not exactly, er..., obvious. In fact, the only Beavers we saw all day were the one that Katie procured from the gift shop (didn't see that coming... much!) and this chap below. Still... we had a very nice walk!




Maybe next time :-)=

The Pumpkin and The Pox Part 2

Hello, I like the pictures of the pumpkins! I had a good time that day, even though I was in the car for most of it! Well, I can't moan. I did get to see the pumpkins, and I'm not moaning I had a good time. =) I cannot wait for Halloween, it should be cool! Great blog =) Hi to Janet and Eamon if you see this message, and good luck with your new house. See you soon.
Lots and lots of love Katie
XxXxXxX

The Pumpkin Patch

We went to the Giant Pumpkin Show this afternoon at Homestead Farm Shop, Mere Brow. We saw the biggest pumpkins ever. We also bought a smaller pumpkin to use on halloween, along with some other stuff that I've already bought - pumpkin and spider lights, a tombstone with a skeleton on it with light-up eyes, a big cobweb with 12 spiders on it, a giant spider and a big black rat!!! It should look good.
Poor Katie had to sit in the car because she's got chicken pox. Here she is holding the pumpkin we bought for halloween.
Looks like we'll be having pumpkin soup and pumpkin pie again!!!

Lots of love
Linda
XXX