Covid-Lockdown-House ...

Just before I decided it really was time to clear the windows I nipped out with my camera to show you the lockdown art as December dawned. The two front bedroom windows have underpants gnomes, a rat, the Child, and the two ferrets we were waiting to get. 

Mary’s front window we filled with cows, can you spot the different artists? Now though, Daisy loves cows just as much! 

The bathroom became an aquarium of sorts, the odd one out being one of Mary’s ‘Adopt Me’ pets in a ‘rocket stroller. This lot had just begun to take on condensation. Probably apt! 

We still have our flock of six chickens and we love them so the porch became a chicken homage during one of our Friday-home-educating-enrichment-hour sessions. The glorious South Park styled chicks and hen were created by Daisy. 

The living room did have a huge sun before we did all the insects. But it fell down early on and it looked like a huge pizza anyway! 

Of course the first thing we put on the window was a big rainbow. We group painted it with all the correct colours and we saw a few people cheered by it in the early days. Once I had to peal it back to rescue a trapped insect, and it fell down and somehow got put back wonky. The orange seems to have been hit the most by the full sun shining on all those glorious days. 

Probably time to clean the windows and get festive? 

Autumnal Sort-Of Lockdown

Rain and leaves fall and the Uk has locked down again, or rather, just closed a few things that had gradually been opened up again. But we never went back to school. What had been taken was restored, and so dog walks and hot lunches together are still part of an average day. 

And life is good. I have a dear friend, well, I have a few, but one keeps us all in ‘rubber boots’ and me in savoury snacks. The children have rediscovered a love of puddles and mud, because a decent pair of waterproofs makes all the difference. If it’s not raining very hard they frequently ask, “Can we go on a welly walk today?” 

The lower field at tumbledown farm is deliciously boggy. You can make great noises in the mud by the gate, and wash it all off in the swampy sections. 

But mostly I think, we love to meet the cows. Indeed I think an enCOWnter really tops off the excursion. I don’t take pictures of cows because they like us better if we hide our hands. Daisy plans a future like around cows. And perhaps writing.  

Gotcha! New kids on the block ...

So the ferrets are now  8+ weeks, and moved in yesterday...

We named them Noodle and Biscuit and seem to be our current favourite waste of time. Not to mention a good reason not to hoover. Noisy and scary. 

Topsy on the other hand is horrified. Salt new her place but these wee ones are far to curious. They probably won’t be hanging out together any time soon! 

These are Mary’s Platys and they came to live with us on Wednesday. We think we have made up for our recent drop in numbers during lockdown. We sadly said goodbye to 2 rats and our last ferret salt. There was a space in Mary’s room where a cage once sat, but now it’s all colour and flickering life. 

We drew the background for the tank during one of our group art sessions, this time back at St Mary’s Church, with a Greg’s vegan sausage roll! 

Lockdown round up ...

We recently helped a ferret called Bear move home from Portland to just north of my children’s school. It was lovely to meet him and smell him too. He is a full ferret and mine are usually spayed girls. Mike thought he was fantastic. He was certainly very sweet a few of us got licked! 

We have continued a tradition of Enrichment every Friday afternoon when we grab a huge piece of paper and create something else for the windows. It’s a pity we live in a cul-de-sac it’s looking really cheerful and I’ve noticed one delivery man remark on the art so that was nice. 

Since losing Salt the Ferret on the 9th of April we have been watching some ferrets grow. Seven of these ten babies are girls and we will be choosing two to come and stay at The Raggy Rat house. Only a few more weeks to go now. 

Each Sunday millions tune into online services, and some may spot my prayer flags adding thought and colour to the sermon. This flag is one of my favourites and yes that’s my tiny size three foot. 

Sadly Topsy seems to have gone awol. She often pops off somewhere for a jolly but it’s been just over a week, so I’ve started asking around. We hope she is back tonight. She will be seven this year! Keep smiling xxx

Back to the future ...

Here is a composite image I made for Facebook in 2015, showing what a difference 5 years makes ...

We are all still seated on our second hand seesaw, which actually might be third hand. We have hung on to it much longer than my friend who’s son Solomon enjoyed it before us. And on the 1st June this year Mike dragged it out from behind the shed. 

Hmmmm. The next photo shoot could be a bit of a squeeze. No one is yet taller than me, but it won’t be long! Brave wee Mary is partly sat on me but partly on the handle! Denim jackets are pretty cool and Daisy is concealing AirPods in that long thick hair! We have all tasted coloured hair this lockdown. 

My smile tells a story, top photo, my way-off adult bite, second image you can just about see the braces I wore for three years and in the recent photo shoot there was my post jaw surgery smile and the new shape of my face. I still don’t take it for granted. 

Finally here you can see the whole seesaw, our chicken run, and how we swapped a Wendy house for a pretty painted shed! 

Lockdown life .... some thoughts

Lockdown life has thrust families together. It’s also enabled us to help those without family nearby, as long as we safely can. 

A routine has helped fill our days, and little celebrations are also important. We delivered balloons on a birthday by tying them down and retreating to a safe distance! The shadows of balloons should be enjoyed. Why hadn’t I noticed them before? 

If able, take your one outdoor exercise everyday, and drink in the sounds, sights and smells. It’s a good way to break up the ‘school’ day too. Much of it is administered via laptops and iPads. 

Bean and Flute remind us to be kind and look out for those older or more vulnerable than ourselves. 

Wearing a mask will help protect you and others and help you to feel safe especially when in the shops. I think mines cute, but I don’t seem to raise many smiles. Wearing a mask is clearly very serious business. 

Cuddles help. Ash wants more cuddles, he can clearly tell that the world is a different place now. Cuddles it is, then ...

If you can’t get out, you might find a way to keep fit indoors, like Bean. Especially if you do a lot of the baking and sampling. 

Above all, now and always, love each other deeply. This weeks prayer flag was released on Sunday. We were a little sad after saying goodbye to a second  pet since lockdown started. Stay home, stay safe xxxx

About time I blogged ...

There’s some useful work being done in my house on this soggy windy Monday. A bed probably destined for the tip is being stripped of staples and ancient brown fabric so that some structural work can be done too. It’s not the only bed like this in my house, Matty has the one I picked up way before she was born and gave to my eldest. Amazing what storage fits inside a gutted divan. 

Tangle Art and Drawing Games for Kids: A Silly Book for Creative and Visual Thinking by Jeanette Nyberg,

Look at this Fabulously fun book cover! We recently acquired a copy of Tangle Art and Drawing Games for Kids because we enjoy being creative together, and as it happens, a good giggle too!

We have enjoyed playing some of these games on a rainy evening, or after we have been active all day and its nice to be sitting down together. There are games you can play on your own, the way all those grown ups do colouring and tangle art nowadays, and lots of group games that we like a lot. We found we could also adapt some of the one person games to family fun,  by simply swapping your papers before the interpretation bit to add that extra challenge!

Playing together in our family are a 65 year old male, a 45 year old very yummy mummy, and girls of 10, 10 and 8. I know ... time really flies by! This blog is almost 9 years in the blogging!

No one who can make marks will have any trouble having fun with this book, we have shared a couple of our results here compared with those in the book! My imagination really felt stimulated and i can see how playing these sort of pen and paper games can keep children's imaginations alive! 

Grab a copy of Tangle Art and Drawing Games for Kids: A Silly Book for Creative and Visual Thinking by Jeanette Nyberg, published by Quarry Books (£12.99). and share your drawings too!

Remember our Family Textiles? Cushions completed!

We had colourful fun trying to create some new posh cushions for our sofa ... Here is Daisy's Tiger, painted and with pastel detail added ...

And Mary's Meerkat featuring a nice bold green outline. 

And Matty's Fox, also showing great colour mixing and shading too. 

You dont have to encourage me to be colourful, the top i was wearing in the photo this was drawn from is almost that bright pink. 

Then we all tried quilting for the first time, and I began to make the art into actual cushion covers using a fun table cloth I found second hand.

Mary sewing and keeping a nice tension on her running stitch ... She is now 7 years old and very fond of sewing ...

Matty May and Daisy can now all enjoy a new cushion when reading books on the sofa ...

My own cushion receives approval by Salt Ferret herself! so much so she stayed still long enough for a photograph!

At almost one year ....

Mike and Cat sing together, and make another wedding memory. Enjoy!

Making designer cushions home-ed style! 1

The last day of August is as rainy as ever .... So having spotted some expensive designer wildlife cushions on line we decide to make our own. Only better!

Using Flickr as inspiration each of us chose a different animal and despite the grey day, the window still worked as a light box ...

Mary has been in a meerkat phase for quite sometime now... Waxy coloured pencils are being used to trace the basic shapes. Topsy the cat can be seen clearly not helping ...

We are working on pieces of toile that have been washed and pressed, using acrylic paints. Most of us used them like watercolour but Matty has applied much of hers quite thickly ...

Mary doenst think she is good at painting! She is going to do the eyes in fabric pastel! That's the next step once these all dry.

I painted a familiar pet ...

Clean up time while the paint dries!

If your other persona was a food-themed super-hero?

After breakfast we had a bit of giggly fun deciding what food-related person we would be. I think Daisy started it. She remains ever cabbage obsessed, so you can guess which work is hers!

Strictly off the record, I am Miss Rhubard so that left Mike to be The Custard Guy. Mmmmm. 

Mary was drawing all of the characters when Matty protested to the way her hair was portrayed and all hell was let loose! Meanwhile Matty got on with her poster ....

Mary has given Queen Tomato an important identity card, and some very practical talents too!

As well as a poster you can take one of these leaflets to contact Cabbage Girl in a jiffy!

And as for the Egg Super Hero, she's tougher than she looks!

Now our magnetic board in the living room look super cool! Just the way I like it!

Then the sun shone and we went out!

We are all superheroes!