Mousy Brown's House-Creating, crafting and collecting. Enjoying Life.

Holiday Album - Santorini Part 3

Today, in the last of my posts about our trip to Santorini, (and I assure you I have enough pictures to keep going for weeks, I have to be strong!) I am going to take you on a walk from Perissa, up over Messa Vouno, stopping at Ancient Thera before walking back down to Kamari and the water bus back to our starting point.  We started early to avoid the sun as we made our winding way up the mountain and arrived at the top, with aching legs, by about 11am.  Ancient Thera was stunningly beautiful, the views were amazing and we were blown about with a strong hot wind that felt like a giant hairdryer.  The walk downhill, in full sun, felt endless and we didn't have the heart to tell people we met coming in the other direction just how far they still had to walk.  Kamari, with it's bars and cold drinks seemed like an oasis by the time we got there and the water bus back, with legs dangling in the water, was one of our favourite memories.  Anyway, enough talking, come and enjoy the walk with us - without the heat or sore legs!

 

Holiday Album - Santorini Part 2

Today, as you can see, some photos of our trip around the Caldera in a double masted sailing ship.  We started from Port Athinios and followed the coast along past Fira to Ia.  A brief hop across the open mouth of the caldera took us to Thirassia, where we stopped briefly to eat.  We made sail again heading for the passage between Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni (the two volcanic islands in the middle), where we stopped long enough to see the sun sink gracefully into the sea before heading back to port and our coach back to Perissa.  It really was a magical experience and one I hope the boys will always remember, I know I will....

Holiday Album - Santorini Part 1

As I returned to work (and 'real' life) today, it seemed a good time to re-visit some happy memories of the end of the holidays by sharing some of the pictures I took of our holiday at Santorini.  A very nervous traveller I kept quiet about what we were up to but now I am safely back at home I can admit to myself (and you) how magical it was and that I am glad I was persuaded by my patient and long suffering husband to take the risk!  I took over 1000 photo's in all, so I promise I won't bore you with too many....maybe just one or two posts with the highlights?  Today beautiful sights.....

I hope that wasn't too painful for you, I showed an amazing amount of restraint I assure you!  Back tomorrow with some views of the sea (and land) from the deck of a two mast sailing ship, hope you don't mind....

Happy New (school) Year!

September has arrived and over the next few days the boys and I will return to our various different locations to begin a new school year.  Although we will be sad to say goodbye to the relaxed and seemingly endless days of summer, it is also exciting to be starting afresh.  A whole new year stretches before us full of possibility and promise (and new pencils!!)  This time of year is always one which inspires me and I am hoping that this year will be no different.  I feel like my head is bursting with ideas and the break over the summer has left me keen to try some of them out as soon as possible.  Somehow it seems so much easier to get enthusiastic about new year resolutions while the summer still rests on my skin and the ease of restful days still fills me with energy...How about you?  Are you still tied into the rhythm of the school year?  Or do you prefer to wait until after the shortest day and start your New Year in January?  I would love to hear what you think....

Holiday Album - Chinese brush painting.

Something on our summer list was inspired by a gift brought back by Daddy from his recent trip to China.  The contents were intriguing and slightly mysterious (we still don't really know what some of the bits are for, any enlightenment would be gratefully received!) but both the boys and I were keen to experiment.

What started as a lighthearted couple of hours outside, became a difficult learning experience as we struggled to make the unfamiliar tools do what we wanted.  Frustration, tears and scrumpled paper were not what we had intended but in a way were what made this such a special summer experience.  In trying to explain the importance of enjoying the experience over the end result to my littlest one, I also managed to see it clearer for myself.  My empathy for my little artist, who like his Mummy, always wants his pictures to be perfect, allowed me to see this fault in myself, so much clearer, and resulted in all of us being able to 'play' with no need for beautiful results.  At the end of the afternoon we were able to admit we had had fun and each of us had something we were fairly pleased with....even if for one of us it was not made using any of the materials from the set!

I am going to take some time away from a computer screen for the next couple of weeks.  As we are spending them all together as a family and trying to tick a few more of those items off the list before school starts back.  I hope you all have a great end to August and I look forward to catching up on what has been going on when I return next month....should have some exciting photo's to share with you by then too!

Holiday Album - Chirk Castle re-visited.

In some ways it seems so much longer than a year, in others, time didn't seem to have moved on at all since our last visit....

# You can enlarge the pictures by clicking on them #

...by the way she loved the hat!

Holiday Album - Simplicity update.

I am appreciating the simple pleasures in my life, even more, in these lazy days of summer. Simple pleasures like this bowl of homemade granola (recipe link on the side bar) and homemade apricot conserve that together with some soya yogurt made a simple but delicious breakfast this morning.

In an attempt to simplify things around me, I have been playing around here with the settings on my blog and have pared things down, so it is easier to find what is worth looking for. I would love to know what you think.....

I have a hunch that it's keeping things simple that will allow me to capture these feelings and retain the summer sunshine in my life once school starts back in September, possibly a little more doable than stopping the clocks?

 

Holiday Album - A hint of Autumn, a finished project and a rainbow!

Hints that the seasons are about to change are beginning to pop up along the lane where I walk Snap.

  Leaves are changing colour,

seed-heads are predominating over flowers,

the fields are looking ready for harvest

and hedgerow fruits are coming into flower.

I must admit that a little part of me is eagerly anticipating a slight chill in the air, as my Hourglass sweater is finished and awaiting a suitably autumnal day for it's first outing.  After a lot of reading on Ravelry and a chat with my local friend Emma, I decided to drastically shorten the sleeves and I am over the moon with the results (just about 3/4 length and perfect for someone who always has wet or messy hands!)  I feel that this project has been an important punctuation to my knitting career, the moment I decided I could go 'off piste' and adjust a pattern to suit my needs.....and then be happy with the results!

 

To finish, at a total tangent, I must show you this beautiful double rainbow that appeared above our village last night....another of those natural wonders that lifts my heart without costing a penny!

 

Holiday Album - Monkey Forest, Trentham.

We spent Friday at the Monkey Forest in Trentham with my cousin and her little one.  The monkeys, which are actually macaques, live free in the forest and you are allowed to wonder amongst them (with a few sensible restrictions).  I know I shouldn't anthropomorphisize but their expressions are just so human.....

Every face tells a story, don't you agree?.....

Holiday Album - 2011.

I was having a look back at this time last year and apart from how much the boys (and their hair!) have grown, the plans to relax, enjoy ourselves and make the most of this precious time together could just as easily have been written today.  We have already managed to sleep out under the stars (on the trampoline), had a campfire in the garden, made heart knot bracelets for each other, seen Harry Potter (and yes I did cry buckets!) and made a camp under the cherry tree in the garden.

With a full list of ideas to fill the days (and nights) I may not be here as much as usual but I am planning a series of 'Holiday Album' posts like I did last year.  We have loved being able to look back to rediscover all the golden moments from 2010 and hope you will enjoy coming along with us as we step into the adventures of summer 2011....