thank yous

The house is quiet for the first time in a week. The girls are back at school and M is at work. It has been a good week and we have all benefitted from having time together without always having one eye on the clock, homework, oven, washing machine, school uniform situation. So they have gone back to school a little sad that the holiday is over and I am here thinking about just how easy it is for us to get caught up in the whirlwind of school, work, timetables and alarm clocks and slip into taking each other for granted. I am as guilty of it as they are. When tired and frazzled they argue and fight and when I'm feeling the same I forget to notice the sound of them singing and squealing around the house or those days when. having caught up on their sleep, they take delight in each other's company and go out of their way to make me laugh.
What was really good about this holiday was that I was able to spend a day alone with each of my daughters. They had sleepovers at various friends, so while one was off I took full advantage of spending time with the other. What a difference it made to have one child to focus on, to talk to and listen to. With Big Sister I shopped, of course, had lunch and had the inevitable fashion parade at home when all the new clothes were modelled and her choice of DVD in the evening. She told me that she'd had a really good day and I really enjoyed having a chance to talk to her, albeit amongst the clothes rails in TopShop. But best of all, according to her, was this little green dress she bought (it's her Cassandra dress, from THAT book).



Little Sister and I spent our day in Lewes. We met M for lunch and wandered down to the children's bookshop to stock up. We came home to chocolate cake and a DVD. It was a quiet but very special day, just the two of us and nobody vying for attention, lovely.



M and I have been together for twenty years and I have only recently discovered that I have been living with the Master of the Double bluff! I don't know how many times he has fooled me into believing that he hasn't bought me a present and then surprised me.



Meet Miss Blossom! She arrived yesterday morning, Sunday morning M had popped out to get a newspaper, I was still in my pyjamas and a man knocks on the door with Miss Blossom in his arms, "for you" he says. I fell in love with Miss Blossom a few months ago in a local antique shop, having wanted a mannequin for years. She was just too expensive. On Saturday I popped into the shop as I noticed it was closing down but even with the discount she was out of my reach. I did spot a large old apple crate to keep my cookery books in, but as I had my arms full of food shopping M agreed to go back later in the day to collect the crate. When he came back I asked if Miss Blossom was still there and he said she was but the last thing we needed was a tailor's dummy. I thought no more of it and took him at his word, until .... Thank you M again not just for the present but the surprise and for reminding me just how much you do listen..



Why Miss Blossom? She is of course the mannequin that shares a room with Cassandra and Rose, in "I Capture the Castle". And I'm happy to say that, like the one in the book, mine has a very "noble bust" perhaps not the words my youngest used this morning when she stared in amazement at her ample chest! Until yesterday my only experience of a Miss Blossom was a very formidable PE teacher at school whose strictness belied her very pretty name, so it's nice to have closure on that!!! I'm now on the hunt for a pretty 30s tea dress for Miss Blossom so if you know of any going cheap (haha) let me know - oh the fun we'll be having ...



Time now to thank some people - the wonderful Louise passed this award on to me last week. Thanks Louise!! Hope you're all feeling better too, Louise has just spent her holiday looking after four poorly children, so if anyone deserves an award it's her.



Thanks too to Jennifer for sending me all these goodies. I was lucky enough to win a giveaway a couple of weeks ago on her blog and received this wonderful parcel last week. The cup and saucer have been following me from room to room, they are so pretty I can't decide where to put them, definitely not in the kitchen cupboard.



I'm off to do some sewing now. I did find an afternoon last week to make up this little cushion from some vintage fabric I found at the car boot. I think the cat has got her eye on it, she's just lapping up the last of the morning sun before nestling in.