Time to fly!

Well, a few weeks have gone in the blink of an eye and today is the day we fly.

We got up at 2:30am to make our way to Gatwick Airport in good time. We arrived early, checked our bags in. We sat and relaxed in the departure lounge while we waited for the gate number for our flight to appear on the board.  

At 6:55 we got the long awaited gate number. 94! We then joined another queue.

People with children age 5 and under were called to the desk first so we managed to jump the small queue a little.  This made no difference when joining the bus though and we were all standing like sardines lurching about as the bus drove us to our plane.

A few minutes later we were sitting in our seats and preparing for take-off.

Alfred was most nervous at first but after a while he relaxed.  

Lily reading the safety notice just before take-off!

Crisps after take off - and an iPad to share.  A new game "toca boca mini" to keep them entertained.

A couple of hours later we are ready to invade Norway! 

Feeling Excited!

Last week while checking out flight prices on a new EasyJet phone app I had downloaded to my iPhone, I discovered that flights for myself and the three school aged children were bargainously priced - the prices so attractive I immediately phoned Jeremy at work to tell him. "Just book it" he said - "but we don't even have passports" I protested. "It's only 6 weeks away until half term" (the time of the flights I had looked up out of curiosity). "Don't worry" said Jeremy, "we will apply for them now and and they will probably arrive in good time - after all, the passport office shouldn't be too busy in September"!
Jeremy wouldn't be available to travel with us due to work commitments. Gabrielle also would be working - and besides she has booked a trip in December with Josh.
So it would just be myself, Lily, Rowanne and Alfred travelling.

Well we were very excited at the flights being booked and paid for, but after a few days I began to worry - the children had not had a passport before. The post office lady Annette said that first time passports can take a little longer. My expired passport was from 1997 so my photos needed counter signing as did all the children's. Who was going to countersign all these passports?
Rowanne was on a residential school trip so we couldn't even get her photo taken until Saturday!
Annette at our local post office was really helpful and agreed to countersign everything as she's known me a number of years through me often posting eBay items there. She also advised I use the check and send service and when we posted all the items off this Monday she helpfully wrote "URGENT" in large letters on the envelopes.
I was planning on calling the passport office after 2 weeks to check on the progress of our applications...the passport office them self had advised around 3-4 weeks processing time.
I heard the clatter of our letterbox very early this morning and came downstairs to see what post had arrived. I found 4 neat envelopes on the doormat - I thought to myself; those must be all the returned identity documents - the passport office will by now have received our applications and are processing them.
I could hardly believe my eyes when I discovered that these were our passports - already!

We can now be truly excited about making the trip across to Norway to visit my Sister. Linda has lived there six years now and we've never been to her "new" house before!

There are birthdays to be celebrated and Halloween too during our visit so we will have a lot of fun! 

This is Linda's house.

Monday Funday!

First thing this morning I visited the post office to use their check and send service to apply for the children's first passports and my passport renewal. 

We have flights booked to Norway to visit my sister for the first time since she moved there six years ago. The flights are astonishingly reasonable in price - thanks to EasyJet and a new flight path from Gatwick London to Bergen.

It is only forty days until the planned trip so we are desperately hoping the passports arrive in time.

It will be Lily, Rowanne and Alfred's first ever flight. 

Gabrielle and her lovely boyfriend Josh have flights booked for December ensuring Hotel Tye of Tysnes is kept busy!

Gabi and Josh! ❤

This afternoon it was fun to come home to a big commotion...the kids were excited at a rodent the cat gave them as a present!

Lily had not been able to open the front door with her key and asked a neighbour to use their loo (which she had allowed but didn't seem pleased). 

The young man house-sitting next door passed by while the madness was occurring and got 101 questions from the kids including a "guess your name game" C - is your name "Cheese" then? Lol — feeling crazy.

Rowanne's dress.

Today's sewing project was going to be PE bags. However Rowanne spotted some fabric she liked on the pile and asked (begged) me to sew her a sun dress. A long dress too!
Here it is so far:

Ribbon shoulder ties.

A little gold ric-rac trim at the hem.

It's very simply constructed and as it turns out a bit too long, I have plans to add an elastic waistband to finish it properly.

I have about 36 days left to get the PE bags sewn, though Lily would like a skirt next!

Virtual Hide'n'Seek

I asked the girls what they were playing on the iPads. Turns out it was virtual Hide'n'Seek within the game Minecraft. First they built a huge mansion and then one player looks away from their screen while the other players hide.
I'm all for virtual games, there's very little tidying up to do afterwards!

See here an article about Minecraft classes being put on the school curriculum in Sweden for its educational value:
Minecraft put on Swedish school curriculum.
Also here a link to a brief explanation of the Minecraft game:
Minecraft Explained

I completed a sewing project!

Today I sewed a tablecloth!
I have had the fabric for a few months and hadn't got round to threading my sewing machine with the correct colour thread, or winding the bottom thread bobbin.
I'm not all that familiar with my sewing machine, or sewing. Even straight hems are a challenge.



I spent lots of time ironing the hems, and re-reading instructions for mitred corners!
The sewing was relatively fast after all the preparation.
I enjoyed the mitred corner challenge, this is my best one:






The finished article definitely looks home-made but its perfectly good to use and I'm very proud that I accomplished what I set out to do.

Welcome rain!

It rained at last, I hope this washed a little pollen from the skies.


We have all been taking antihistamines due to the spectacularly high pollen count that accompanied the heat wave.
It's not often we feel thankful for rain here!

Mudeford

A lovely beach trip to Mudeford. The heat wave has cooled a little (only about 25 degrees C today).

Alfred's 5th Birthday

Alfie is very pleased to be 5 at last. He celebrated his birthday at home with family and friends.
Click here to see the birthday boy blowing out his candles!

Visiting Grandma Joy

Half term saw us heading to Richmond, North Yorkshire to see Grandma Joy again.
The weather was so changeable alternating sun cream and winter coats daily!


Jeremy drove us there and stayed overnight before heading south for work again, and we came home on the train at the end of the week.
We did our usual trip to local farms Hazel Brow Farm being one of our favourite places.












The children also watched "Epic" at the local cinema which is in the old railway station building.



We enjoyed skimming stones at the river.



We liked testing the echo stone at Easby to check if it still worked (it does)!


The fair was also in town this week adding to the fun.



Thank you for having us to stay Grandma Joy, we had a lovely time!

Rowanne and Alfred are Baptised into the Catholic Faith.

Rowanne and Alfred have been baptised at last! They felt they were missing out as older siblings are already baptised. Somehow we hadn't got around to organising their baptisms as babies. Rowanne decided to get things organised herself by approaching our priest Father John on Christmas Eve and so the plans began!
Baptism classes were attended, God Parents were chosen and invited, and to our immense happiness and honour both sets of godparents were able and willing to travel all the way from lands afar for the children's special day!
Thank you to Joe and Teresa Martin for travelling from Colorado Springs USA, and to John and Linda Tye for travelling from Tysnes Norway.
Thank you also to John Tye for taking photos and making a video of the special day.
Click here to view a short video of the Baptism









Thank you also to our family and friends who sent their good wishes and to those who were able to attend this memorable day.

Ruperts Birthday

Rupee is 1! He celebrated by hiding outside and refusing to come in until we tempted him with Tuna.

Lily's 11th Birthday

Lily celebrated her 11th birthday at home with family and friends.

Lily had a "Minecraft" themed party with all her friends bringing mobile devices and joining in the same Minecraft game. They worked hard and built some amazing buildings and had lots of virtual fun!

https://minecraft.net/

Mothering Sunday

I had a really lovely Mothering Sunday this year.
The children all brought home a bunch of Daffodils each from school the Friday before, a lovely surprise, and then on Mothering Sunday itself I was given beautiful purple tulips too and lots of lovely cards!



I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Jeremy cooked a lovely roast dinner at the end of the day too.

Blue Peter Badge Winners!

Both girls had applied for Blue Peter Badges since the beginning of the year, and both have been successful in being awarded badges!
Well done Lily and Rowanne!




http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/directories/blue-peter-badge-attractions