Big Sister, little sister and big blue skies

I'm feeling almost normal today. Which is great news since I think I need all my energy to relive the experience that was the Big Sister's birthday party at the weekend. She wanted a Murder Mystery but all her friends had had them recently. Quite by chance we stumbled across the idea of a "Big Sister" party instead. It was to be along the lines of "Big Brother". So on Saturday we had a house full of teenage girls for 12 hours. They came for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and, the best bit, were evicted at 10pm so no sleepover! They were each assigned characters to play in the house and had to fill in questionnaires to return to Big Sister, via the big sister at school. We turned one room into the Diary Room, I was Big Sister and M was Big Bother (the camera crew), Little Sister ran around delivering tasks and summoning people to the Diary Room. Despite loosing a day planning it and me feeling very poorly it was a great success and dare I say it, lots of fun.
They key was to keep them busy. Over breakfast they had to compile an anthem in honour of Big Sister that they had to sing throughout the day whenever they heard the foghorn! (can't think what the neighbours thought). Friends said it would be good to turn this to our advantage and give them tasks like building the much needed new garden shed or redecorating the hall. The closest we got to that was telling them that one of their tasks was to prepare, eat and wash up lunch in an hour. The look of horror on their faces. 45 minutes to cook pasta!!!! Big Sister made them bring the washing in, blindfolded, through an obstacle course. They had to paint portraits expressing their inner selves (not their real inner selves, but their given characters). Pop videos were made and filmed, a 5 minute soap opera based on Romeo and Juliet was produced and lots of time was spent being called into the Diary Room to be teased and probed by M and me! I have never seen a group of girls so animated before (well, apart from the prospect of an afternoon's shopping at Topshop).



The day after Big Sister's party as reward to us, we decided to walk over from the beautiful village of Glynde (home of Glyndebourne Opera) to Lewes. It was such a warm, sunny day it felt like Spring.


The scenery was beautiful, even the girls admitted it and the oldest even turned off her Ipod to admit that it was the biggest sky she'd ever seen, praise indeed! Seconds later she walked into the biggest cowpat I've ever seen, teenagers are safer at home. If you ever get the chance do this walk, its lovely.



This week being halfterm we are once more snowed under by the weight of school projects needing to be done. My youngest has got one to do this time, The Tudors, a power point presentation on their clothes and fashion! Having done the Tower and Globe theatre we decided to go to Hampton Court Palace instead, I'm glad we did it was a good day out and my daughter just lapped it all up. Ghostly walks, tudor intrigue, children's workshops on how to succeed at Court, wandering around the Maze, it was a wonderful day. I remembered my dad taking me to Hampton Court when I was little and I can still remember the sense of awe when I first saw it, It is a fantastic building, absolutely steeped in history.

I also developped a strange fixation on the chimneys, I have never seen such beautiful chimneys before ....!! Couldn't take my eyes off them,
Sorry that this is such a long post, but this is what happens when I've been starved of energy and computer contact!
The other day I received this award from Carol , Carol has just started blogging, and, like me, will be experiencing her first blogging Christmas. Thanks so much. I'm looking forward to Christmas in blogland and get excited whenever I come across a mention of it on some of your blogs. I can't wait to see all of your decorations, gift ideas and share the preparations as Christmas approaches. So in the sense of Christmas let's share this award and if you can think of anyone to pass it on to please do.


A big thank you to Val for sending me this lovely parcel of goodies. I won a giveaway on her lovely blog the other week (have you visited her yet - go see) and was completely overwhelmed by what she sent me. Pin cushions, fabric, edible glitter, tissue holders (very apt) and chocolate. Look at all these pressies and I can say that the lavender chocolate was delicious. Thanks Val.
What a long, rambling post, I'm off to taste some more of that chocolate, I hear it's good for energy levels. i think you deserve some too after reading through all of this...