Sometimes weekends when you don’t plan anything in advance work out really happily (trip to PC World notwithstanding). I found a flyer for The Brighton Museum & Art Gallery’s carnival event yesterday, where L made a fab sparkly butterfly mask, had her face painted, danced along with a samba band, enjoyed the displays of Brighton in bygone days, and sat on a miniature replica of Dali’s Mae West’s lips sofa - all for free, marvellous!

After all that, it was time for an ice-cream on the beach, where we messed around on the ‘donut’ and all had a go on the merry-go-round.

Today was spent swimming and zooming down flumes and then enjoying an impromptu roast dinner at our friends’ up the road, sitting outside in the sunshine - sadly, I didn’t take my camera and therefore can’t post a picture of L and her friends A and Z all jamming together with a guitar, tambourine, recorder and maracas!

Tags: beach, Lucy, sunshine, Tony

We had an unexpected visit to PC World at the weekend, following the rather alarming demise of our computer’s mains unit on Friday night - ‘Can you smell burning?’, I asked, ‘maybe someone’s having a bonfire’, and went back to my knitting, but then all the lights went out and the smell got worse. Luckily T was all calm and found a torch to investigate while I flapped about, and then the computer went ‘BANG’, which was apparently a good sign as at least it meant mice hadn’t gnawed through wires under the house, starting a blazing inferno.

So, here’s L very seriously checking out the headphones while T and the nice computer geeks fixed our old PC.

Tags: Lucy, random

If things ever get a little fractious, they can usually be soothed by the suggestion of face painting, particularly when I let L do mine too. So here’s my effort from a recent no-nap day (I’m pretty proud of this one, it has sparkles and everything!), as L prepares to make me into a butterfly as well – and no, I didn’t take a self-portrait!

We’ve also had our first foray into Lego, with this freebie from the Mirror.

Tags: Lucy

L and I often start the week off nicely by meeting Nanny and/or Uncle Mike and/or Auntie Sian at a great cafe for breakfast on the beach – eggs, beans and round chips, mmmm. And there’s usually time for a clamber on the forbidden sea defences and investigation of rock pools.

Tags: beach, Lucy, Nanny, sunshine

Had a fun afternoon at Drusillas with our friends from up the road, made even better by the tickets being half-price! As usual, the biggest draw was the Thomas the Tank Engine train, but L did admire the alpacas (she liked their funny hair), the marmosets and the fruit bats.

Nothing to do with animals, I just thought this one was sweet.

Tags: friends, Lucy

Not quite self-sufficiency, but it’s early days…

Tags: garden

I have no idea what these are, but they seem to be taking fashion tips from the ladybirds.

Tags: random

We met my mum, Uncle Mike and some friends at last weekend’s kite festival and it was perfect kite-flying weather. Near the end of the day, we were relaxing with some ice creams after L and her friend R had been on every ride and bouncy thing they could find, and watching a lovely display of spirit kites.

Tags: sunshine

I remember spending ages happily sorting through my grandma’s button tin – arranging them all in the right categories, and then changing those and doing it all again – so it makes me very happy indeed that L now enjoys playing with my buttons, sorting them and choosing her favourites, while I make a little mouse family from this lovely book. So far we have Lucy and Ruby Mouse and their toadstool, but not to worry, I also have tickets to see Mudhoney with lovely friend M, so it’s not all tiny gingham curtains and rick-rack!

Tags: Lucy, sewing

I would like to have posted a picture of these 3 all smiling simultaneously, especially as we so rarely have them all in the same place at the same time. No such luck, so here’s one where they seem to be having an interesting discussion about their shoes.

Tags: friends, Lucy, sunshine