Mary’s First Easter Bonnet :) (by sarah)

Ok so I was a bad Mummy and forgot that Mary needed an Easter Bonnet for Nursery - so out came the easter stickers and one of Jean's old hats. Jean and Mary spent ages decorating it! With Jean actually helping rather than just taking over too! Of course Jean then made an Easter trail around the house with the left over stickers and worse she asked me if she could and I didn't click this would mean they would be stuck all over the place! She was so excited that we should all come and find them too! Good job we haven't decorated the walls yet! Also Mary refused to wear her Easter Bonnet but wanted everybody else to wear it! I have vetoed the pic of me so you're only getting this cute one of Jean!

Bitcoin and Banks (by alaric)

The existing financial industry isn't exactly welcoming Bitcoin with open arms. Paypal [regard bitcoin as a currency and their terms of service disallow currency purchases](http://themonetaryfuture.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/paypal-freezes-accounts-of-two-bitcoin.html), while where I live in the UK, Bitcoin exchanges keep having their UK bank accounts closed (which is a problem, as wire transfer is generally the best way to get your pounds sterling into the Bitcoin exchange). Clearly, there's a strong case for the current banking system to see Bitcoin as a competitor, but it's a bit more complex than it seems; Bitcoin only competes with *part* of the banking business. Read more »

Spring Creativi Tea (by sarah)

Sunday saw the first ever Creativi Tea - I had wanted to run them last year but never got around to it what with all that moving mand festivals and what not. So I invited people, and got tea stuff ready and baked cakes. Lemon and lime - lime sponge with lemon butter icing and lots of butterflies :) Which Al's cousins gave me :) I made sandwiches - ham, cheese and humous to cater for vegi and vegan and meat treats people. And I had crisps in butterfly bowls because I am me and the house is infested with the creatures ;) And then it was time for people to appear - I wasn't sure what people would want to be doing as I'd said bring your own project or tell me what you want to learn. Most people turned up with writing so were clustered in the lounge. There was a variety of writing going on from poetry to prose, to essays to novels to short stories to computer programming. Even Jeany got in on the act writing and illustrating a lovely story about a mutant girl and her dad. People were being very British about not actually taking the cakes until Jeany broke the icing (literally). In the kitchen sewing and knitting occured - mainly Alaric finishing off the bag he began making me at Centre Arts during a sewing course I sent him on as his valentines day present. I was sad I had some people drop out due to weather and moto bikes breaking and fuel costs and writing events but it worked really well. Extra nibbles even arrived with people :) Having noisy/messy stuff in the kitchen and the quieter stuff in the living room worked really well. I am planning on running one of these a season :) If you want to be invited to the next one let me know! Here are more pictures of cakes as I know you all love them ;) Recipe will be appearing on [Salaric Cooking](http://cooking.salaric.co.uk/) soonly.

Easter Snow (by sarah)

It's the Easter holidays and it is snowing so after dropping Mary off at the Nursery my dad helped me take some photos of the hills and things. This one is my favourite: Followed by this one of cracking ice: And then this one I took with the idea of portals or the Door to December: I quiet like this one of a farm house as well - the sheep and colours say spring but then there is snow on the hills: Then we have bleak landscapes mostly taken on extreme zoom! Click through if you want to see bigger images or go to the [here](http://photography.salaric.co.uk/?cat=10) on my photo blog.

Easter Egg Hunt With Cranham Scouts (by sarah)

Wednesday evening I organised an easter egg hunt for the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. The Beaver leader organised games and Alaric sorted out camp stuff with the parents. I put chocs and chicks and stickers into plastic eggs. I also made dairy free chocolates for the children with special dietry requirements. We had a campfire for the Scouts and their's was done in the dark after the two younger sections had gone home. I had rabbit and duck marshmallows for toasting, hot cross buns of various varieties - again toasted on sticks. Then I had creme egg splats and as it is Nation Science and Engineering Week and I had gone in to help with their astronomy badge a few weeks previously I created a came called Splats for Facts. They loved this game even though I had inflicted The Little Chicken Song on them all whilst their egg trail was being laid (some of the eggs where in the trees!). I ended the night by telling Jean a Horice The House Dragon story - it was a continuation of one I've been telling her for a while but off course all made up on the spot. To my amazement I ended up with a group of teenagers all sitting around listening to it and even those I thought weren't listening were as they answered questions about what the story was about to those who arrived back a bit later from the hunt. They seemed very impressed that it was made up of the top of my head :) It was a lovely evening and I took video of the fire and played with my camera in the hope of using the footage for something arty later on! I took lots of low light level pictures of trees :)