Yes, we have been off on the hunt again. I knew John wouldn't wait much longer before he would be itching to buy a new tent. He never keeps the same one more than two seasons...though to be honest I am just as bad! We have been round a couple of local camping places and a couple of tents have caught our eye. Yesterday we went to a place near Blackpool, Kool Kamping, and although they didn't have a vast range of tents on show they did have couple we had never looked at before. One range was a new one from Kampa called the Lulworth.
We went inside the 6 berth and I was really impressed with it. Everything we wanted seemed to be included along with a large lounge area. John thought the 6 might be too big and we should go for the 4 but I will need to actually see one up before I can decide. I do so like my space. One great thing about Kool Kamping was that the lads who run it were really helpful and knew their stuff. If we do go for the Lulworth I will certainly go back and buy it from them. Great customer service!
For some reason Tom seems to be the subject of my scrapping inspiration at the moment. Probably the only bit of scrapping I have done for a couple of weeks is this layout of him.
At the last minute he decided to go to the inter store bowling competition and came out with a medal and a trophy. The store team managed to beat everyone else there and everyone had a great evening.
One bit of exciting news is the fact that I have a new great nephew! My neice Sarah had her second baby last week. She was over a week late and was feeling dreadful with all the heat. As all babies usually do, he made his grand entrance when he was good and ready. Edward Huey Evans weighed in at 7lb 11oz at 3.27am on Friday morning. Mother and baby were both fine! It gave me chance to make a couple of cards instead of scrapping which made a nice change.
Anyway I am off to do some cleaning and hopefully a bit of scrapping as well today if I get chance. I am taking William into Preston tonight to meet up with some friends so I am going to bob along to Dunelm mills while I have the chance and see what I can be tempted with! I have no doubt something will catch my eye.
Be for now.
Yes, it looks, and feels like summer is here at last! Another long hot sunny day today with it predicted to get hotter and hotter as the week goes on. I think I will be staying inside and doing some scrapping in my free time as I'm afraid I don't 'do' heat well. I like the weather to be hot but just as long as I am not outside in it! I really feel for my niece Sarah at the moment. She is 40+ weeks pregnant with her second child, lives down south where it is even hotter and is really getting fed up now. My sister has gone down to keep her company and try to help out where ever she can but unfortunately even she can't make this baby come any sooner! Hopefully we will not have to wait much longer before the action starts!
I've managed to find some time to do a bit of scrapping and have started on some of the holiday photos. Here are a couple of the Jacobite Steam train which does a return trip most days between Fort William and Mallaig. It's a very impressive sight as it pulls into the station and stops with a real huff and puff and a release of steam!
Thomas is not happy that he has yet to be asked for proof of age. He has been carrying his card around with him in the hope someone would query his age now he is actually 18. Even the pub he is always turned away from just let him walk in the other night. Perhaps living in a small rural town where most peole know everyone else....and their age....could have something to do with it! Here he is ready to take on the 'grown up' part of life! 
All exams are out of the way now and all course work handed in, finance in place and accomodation sorted as much as possible, so now it is time to play the waiting game. They are both happy bunnies at the moment but I can see all that changing as August 20th draws near. Confidence will hit rock bottom in both of them and they will be replanning their futures....just in case! I will just be exactly the same as always. Calm on the outside and all jingly jangly on the inside until the night of the 19th when I will just fall apart with worry.
So until then I had better just get on with some scrapping to take my mind off things! :)
Yes, it's surprising how soon holidays are over with, isn't it? So long looking forward to them and planning everything and then before you know it they are gone! Once again we have spent a lovely relaxing time in the Scottish highlands. The scenary is so stunning up there, it is worth the journey just for that. We spent some time on the isle of Skye, gorgeous (as well as being hot and sunny!) and also cruising Muck, Eigg, Canna and Rhum.
Another excellent holiday only spoilt by the 'bastard' midges! Gosh, I really hate those beasties! Unfortunately this feeling is not reciprocated as they LOVE me! They love me for breakfast, dinner, tea, supper and any other time when they might be feeling peckish. They love me sooo much that they tell all their friends about me and invite them along for a picnic as well!! As you can imagine this does terrible things to my body and I now have so many spots and welts I am begining to feel that I should be outcast as one of the 'unclean' from the olden days. I wouldn't mind as much if they didn't itch constantly...but they do...all the time! Even the tried and tested repellants do noting to prevent them attacking me. However I will just carry on and keep slapping the creams on!
The day before we went on holiday it was the boy's 18th birthday and as they didn't want a party we arranged for family and close friends to join us for a meal. John and Karen, some friends of ours, opened their restaurant for us and provided one of the best evenings ever! We didn't do any singing or dancing just ate, drank and chatted away. The feedback is that everyone enjoyed themselves and it was rated a 'great success' on our family event scoreboard! I must admit I had a great time too!
William is on with the last of his exams this coming week and I am sure he will be glad when they are over. I know I certainly will. Then it is just a case of sitting back and waiting for the results! Most of the stuff for their unis is sorted / applied for and all finance is now in place so we are ready for the call, so to speak!
Yes, finally a bit of good weather at last but as usual it has to go from one extreme to the other. From pouring rain and cold winds we go to desert like conditions with the sun beating down constantly! Bit of an exaggeration there but it is blinking hot! I must admit I can't do with this heat as I get very hot and burn easily so I am more than happy to stay inside and potter round doing a bit of scrapping. John is toasting himself outside which is a bit of a sickner as he goes brown at the first sign of the sun! Both him and Tom have such dark skin to start with it doesn't take much sun to turn them even darker.
I am hoping to get the boy's birthday meal sorted this weekend. It is drawing ever closer and I can't believe they will soon be 18. We have booked a friend's restaurant for the evening for family and close friends. Three courses, a bottle or two of wine and great company....what more could you want? I asked the boy's if they wanted us to pay for a party for them but they were not that interested really and to be honest it would be a pretty mixed up do with their totally different friends! So roll on the 12th!
William has his first exam on Monday with another one later in the week and Thomas is in college all week to complete the last bits of his course work. It is going to be a very tense summer waiting for their results!
Although we only live about an hour from Liverpool it is not somewhere that we ever go to but as we were even nearer last weekend we decided to pay it a visit. Although we only managed to stroll along the dock areas there was so much to see. We never even got near the shops! I will be making sure that I have another trip out there soon!
This layout, above, shows some of the sights we enjoyed that day. The other layout, below, introduces an old friend to you all. Doctor Ted was bought for John when he was born and this magical bear has been drying tears and taking away hurts for many, many years! I was inspired to do this layout by a quote I read in Scrapbook Trends. As soon as I read it I thought of Doctor Ted. He is very battered and bruised now and is certainly balder than John but he is still called on in times of need.
Everyone who has seen this layout up to now has had a kind word to say for Doctor Ted. I will go and put him back in our bedroom where he will wait on guard ready for when he is next needed.
At the last minute he decided to go to the inter store bowling competition and came out with a medal and a trophy. The store team managed to beat everyone else there and everyone had a great evening.
