A week of highs and lows

Well Easter weekend was a bit of a wash out .... I spent most of it in bed feeling as though I'd been in the ring with Tyson .... just as well the weather was rubbish too so I didn't miss much!

I was up and running by Tuesday which was just as well as I had three children to look after .... I have come to the conclusion that my old body just shuts down when I don't have anything to keep me busy ... funny how it seems to know that it just needs a flipping good rest.

Wednesday was a sad day .... the 48 year old mother of a child I used to look after lost her valiant battle with ovarian cancer and was laid to rest that day.  As we get older it is natural process that we attend more funerals but this one had to be the hardest yet for me as I watched a beautiful, dignified and brave 13 year old read out a poem she had written especially for her mum.

As a balance to a sad day my daughter received some good news .... she has been accepted on a midwifery degree course in Hertfordshire and is still waiting to hear from our local university.  She has been working very hard on an Access course since September .... there is so much more work involved than when I did mine when she was a baby.  So it looks like there will be two midwives in the family in a few years time.  I am so proud of my girls.

Mum rang me on Thursday morning to say that there was an old photo in a local newspaper and she was sure her mum and brother were on it.  It was from 1949 when the Duke of Edinburgh visited the town ..... my nan was a staunch royalist and wouldn't have a word said against the Queen.  Mum was right too ..... nan is at the bottom right of the photo holding my uncle in her arms.

She would have enjoyed all the forthcoming Jubilee celebrations

I've been picking up some bit and pieces for the Kettering Jubilee Fair and making too

With my able assistant Miss Ellie I have been car booting this weekend.  My favourites started again and it was so nice to escape into the fresh air and delve around in other people's cast offs again :-)

Four little ducks when swimming one day and found themselves in my shopping trolley!

The ceramic ones are pate tureens made by the same maker as my bunny which you can just see in the photo .... Frenchman Michel Caugant.

Ellie has a school project to complete on Ancient Egypt and we managed to find some books, a mummy pencil tin and a lovely plaster moulding set unused and complete with everything to make a tomb, sarcophagus and mummy.  We're just waiting for the plaster and papier mache to dry and the decorating can commence tomorrow.

One more day and they will be back to school .... teacher training tomorrow so I will have a house full as usual.  Roll on Tuesday morning and some peace and quiet.

We will all be on tenterhooks this week as grandchild number 5 is due on the 19th ..... the day before his big brother's 5th birthday on Friday.

I finished a little cot size quilt for him made with some lovely vintage Laura Ashley charm squares purchased on a well known auction website

I had the Laura Ashley Harlequin border fabric in my stash which matched perfectly !