Sun

We had friends round for lunch in the garden, and the weather was glorious. Of course water fights were involved. This is Zac engaged in combat with his little pal Thomas.

Dinner

We went away to a London hotel overnight and took the children out for dinner when we arrived. Yas happily posed for a photo when I asked, which is rare in itself, but they had all ADORED the food and the whole restaurant experience, so everyone was in high spirits.

Picnic

I had a day off work today and took the children to my friend Denise's house to play with her little boy Oliver (Tabitha's favourite person). They stopped playing for some biscuits, and we took photos.

Boy on the edge

I can't remember why I took this photo, but it's the only one I took today, so it'll have to do.

Rejuvenation

I went on a spa day today with my best friend Jenny. We were liberally coated in mud and pummellingly massaged, and walked out feeling soft and limp and dazed. Then we went to Costa. This is my soya vanilla latte.

Cat door

Our extension is very nearly finished. My dad added this little entrance (cut into the bottom of an internal door) for Simba. I love it.

Brothers

Husband on the right, his non-identical twin on the left. We were at a wedding party for friends that got married abroad. I had a lot of gin, for some unfathomable reason.

Sore eyes

I cheated with this photo - Leah took it last night, not me. I'd had a nasty incident with contact lenses and fingers that I'd used to chop chillis, and my eyes were still watering...

Another sports day

Zac's this time. He adored every minute!

Young love

Tabitha's little friend Oliver visited yesterday with his mummy. It's so sweet to watch him and Tabitha together - they really do dote on each other.

Sports day

The little tug-of-warrer in yellow is Yasmine. Her team did not win, but they put up an impressive fight.

Storm

The weather is really odd this week. I took this photo on the way home from collecting the children - we had to run up the hill and just got home before the heavens opened.

Makeover

Another Virgin Vie party tonight. Sophie didn't want me to take a photo, as she was worried I'd publish it on Facebook. I promised her I wouldn't, and I've kept my word.

Volume

I had my hair cut yesterday and the hairdresser recommended using rollers to volumise my scarily lank tresses. This is the result. I was quite pleased with it (as you cannot tell from my blank expression).

Happy Birthday Zac

We picked him up from school and took him out for a birthday tea - he was delighted as he'd had no idea that Daddy would finish work early or that he would get a birthday tea in a cafe! He is now 6.

Pate(r)

The man on the left is my dad - he and his girlfriend visited today. He's feeling very self-conscious at the moment because he recently lost all his hair very quickly (alopecia) - it's only the last few weeks that he's ventured out without a hat on, as it's too warm to do otherwise.

Love my Dad.

Party food

Zac and Tab were invited to a birthday party today. Tab was one of the youngest, but she had a great time, dancing and stamping around and shouting commentary at the magician's performance. I took this during a relatively peaceful moment (food-induced).

Rainbow

This appeared early this evening - the children spotted it. Beautiful.

Not wanting to go to bed

Tabitha, this evening.

Neater garden

My in-laws came over today, and we spent a whole day tidying up the garden. It was much messier than this before.

Funky little dude

This is my friend Denise's son, having fun with our sunglasses. After he'd gone to bed we had yummy takeaway - great way to spend a Bank Holiday Sunday evening.

Hiking

I had a child- and husband-free day today as he'd taken them to see his family, so my mum asked me to go on a 7-mile hike with her through the hills round the town. I took this as we started to walk through a field of wheat shoots. The colours of the sky, wheat and the track were really surreal.

Night out

Friday night - dancing and woo-woo. First time in ages!

Sleepy head

I took this photo of Zac when my husband was taking him to the loo before we went to bed (Zac still needs "lifting"). Look at his little face!

My oldest girl

They always look like babies when they're asleep.

What I found on my camera...

...when I uploaded the memory. It's a self-portrait taken by Zac - I don't think he thought it would work, hence weird half-smile. Made me laugh a lot when it appeared on my laptop screen.

Pool

Night out with work colleagues. This was a quieter moment.

Pampered Chef

I hosted a cooking party, and my friend brought along some of her home-made Jammy Dodgers. Aren't they amazing? They taste great, too.

Tabitha and her elephants

She smiled for this photo, which is rare - usually she just looks at me quizzically.

Virgin Vie

My friend Liz, having been made over at her Virgin Vie cosmetics party. I arrived straight from spinning class, starving, and devoured all the snacks without even taking my coat off - I need to learn manners.

Hard working

Daddy and Tabby, concentrating on work (former) and TV (latter).

Self portrait

I find it slightly telling that in a week where I barely remembered to pick up my camera, I did remember to take a photo of myself. Hmmm.

Ketchup

We went out today for lunch - nearly everywhere was closed, and we ended up getting a very nice long pre-prandial walk in our quest to find somewhere that was a) open and b) serving food. Ended up in the oldest pub in town and the food was lovely.

Tabitha had never seen ketchup in sachets before; she was entranced. I took several photos along the lines of this one. Kept her occupied for ages.

Egg hunt

Zac doing his "photo smile" and Tabitha hiding from all the adult attention (many many parents wanted a pop at THIS shot).

Today was the annual, fantastic Easter egg hunt at the home of some friends who have just the kind of house and garden where eggs SHOULD be hidden - unlike ours, where we had to create hiding presents behind teddies and such.

Little friends

This is a photo of Tabitha reading to her friend Oliver (modelling Zac's Easter bonnet creation). They are perching on the unopened packs of flooring that we've bought to lay in the extension. Behind them you can just pick out the picturesque silhouette of our overflowing bins.

We had an Easter egg hunt for the little children today, and they did enjoy it, but the balance of guests was somewhat adult-heavy. That's what happens when you breed in your early 20s and your friends are all professionals - not many of them have joined us in the madness yet. Still, we all enjoyed the chocolate.

Unidentified played-with object

I have no idea where this came from. I found it on the floor when I was tidying. I think it's a finger puppet, although it seems a bit big for childrens' fingers.

Anyway, I hadn't taken a photo, so it became my subject.

Dandelions

The children are spending most of their days at the moment on the trampoline - the sun's out, it's the Easter holidays and we don't have much planned, so it's the place to be as far as they're concerned. I love the effect the static electricity has on their hair, though.

This is Zac and one of his friends, jumping in the late afternoon sun today.

Proud

Zac has been very late learning to turn the pedals on his bike - it's something that took a long time to "click" and he showed very little interest in the whole thing. Today, though, it just fell into place and he managed to cycle (at my walking pace!) for about 2 miles. He and I were both very proud. "Who bought me my bike?" he asked. When I replied that Daddy and I had bought it, he said "Oh, thank you Mummy and Daddy! I think it's SUPER, don't you? Really super." First use of the word "super", as far as I know, too. Wonder where he got it from? Am neither jolly nor an owner of hockey sticks.

Spoilt

Bless my in-laws. These have turned up ready for Easter, for the children.

Hugging little men

I managed to get food poisoning yesterday (harrumph!) so wasn't well at all today, although it didn't set in until the afternoon. During the morning I did manage some feeble shopping and I bought these for longsuffering husband. They hold salt and pepper, of course.

Nightclubbin'

Had most excellent day of shopping and giggling in Leeds with Leah and her lovely bff Colleen, followed by dinner and then dancing to cheesy music, as is our wont. Took this photo of Leah next to a large silver-coloured cat-type thing - we liked it at the time.

Pink wine at lunch time

Twas Leah's birthday today. This is what we did: spinning, lunching, shopping, manicuring. In that order. The wine accompanied the lunching and was very much needed after the agonising spinning (spinning included an abs class, which was the agonising bit, really). Wine was yummy and I think I was a leeeetle bit drunk. At lunch time!

Garden

This is the garden area at the kids' school, which is looking all lovely again now it's Spring. I noticed it today for the first time this year, and took a photo.

Tiger food

Went to see "The Tiger Who Came to Tea". Loved it! Even Tabby was on her feet and dancing.

This is the Tiger Food, which stayed on the stage after the show finished - much to the delight of the audience.

First heels

Yasmine could not be any happier with these shoes. Leah bought them for her as her very first pair of heels, and so far she has even worn them to bed.

Yasmine

I took this photo in Starbucks. She was blissfully unaware of me doing so.

5.30am

That's what time I had to get up today. Continuing professional development, indeed.

Coffee on the train was nice, though.

Farewell

End of an era today. One of the partners at our firm, who let me do work experience there when I was a slip of a 16 year old, retired (slightly reluctantly, it must be said - I suspect his wife is keener on the idea than he is!).

We all had a VERY nice meal to say farewell to him. This was my ice cream.

Siblings

He doing his "photo" smile, she gazing at him adoringly.

Home-made present

Another one. This one's for Leah. I'm really proud of it - it's a shopping bag, by the way.