Bonfire Night 2012 (by sarah)

Bonfire Night saw m and Jean cooking away - we attempted ice box cookies but it went a bit wrong - Jean ever resourcefull decided to turn them into bone sliver biscuit slivers.

We made some spooky chocolates as well with white chocolate 🙂

Not to mention a Fire Works Night cake 🙂 complete with an icing Guy Fawkes on top 🙂

Once all the cooking was done we popped out the decorations I'd gotten for Halloween which then sort of hadn't happened for us as we were at Cubs!

Jean toasting a marshmallow! A giant marshmallow! Baby scoffing a non-toasted marshmallow 🙂 And a tray of giant marshmallows - we still can not believe the size of these things!

I love my purple spider mug add in the glass eyeball stick that my friend Ulrike gave us and it is perfect for spooky drinks 🙂

Of course Jean's glowing screaming skull straw is pretty ace too 🙂

We had snacks 🙂 Little jelly ghosts, chocolate covered witch biscuits and chilli spider web pretzels.

Then we had indoor fireworks! (it was pretty miserable outside which is why we were not out at a display as planned plus there had been a good fireworks display at Legoland anyway!).

We did do one of them outside though as it was a fountain 🙂

After the in door fireworks we lit a fire lantern 🙂

After the outside stuff we had toffee and chocolate apples 🙂

The cats who should have been hiding from the fireworks - followed us out into the garden to see what all the fuss was about and seemed completely unworried about the fireworks. This being our first fireworks night in a built up area with them we were concerned but it was all fine in the end 🙂

If you want to see bigger versions of the photos just click on them 🙂

Pumpkin Soup (by sarah)

The innards of the pumpkin needed to be disposed off - I extracted the seeds, boiled it up and blended it and made bright orange soup.

And the baby pappled it making a great big orangy mess.

The seeds I roasted in a low temperature over with a little bit of sea salt grated onto the top - these were are writing snacks 🙂

Busy Weekend (by sarah)

We had a very busy weekend once again 🙂 I took Jean and Mary to the farmshop for a halloween hunt on Friday, then Saturday we had the Green Unconference and tea at a friends house and dinner at another friends house and it was all great and exciting. Sunday I woke up without any voice - I have been pushing it a bit again with the numbers of poetry readings and workshops I've been running so it wasn't that much of a surprise - but Sunday was not a day for relaxing - Oh No! Off we set at 8 am with vitals and supplies packed for LegoLand Windsor.

There we had a fantastic time with Alaric's Cousin Maurice and his kids - I took over 400 photographs which will need sorting (and many discarded!). I missed the Bristol NaNo pre-party as we stayed for Fireworks at LegoLand and I was very very tired by this point!

I am a bit worse for ware today but I had a fantastic time and I would have only spent the weekend fretting about biopsies and things if I hadn't filled it up. I took these pictures on the way home from Bristol on Saturday - I really love this bench and would love to have say our wall made like this.

Jean also loved it 🙂

All Saints Church Long Ashton (by sarah)

I attended the Green Unconference 2012 at this church - I love church buildings and so couldn't resist taking some photos. (All of which will be appearing in a slightly nicer format on my photo blog.)

The stained glass windows had me most entranced

I liked the juxtapostion of these two 🙂

Halloween Hunt At Primrose Vale 2012 (by sarah)

We went to Primrose Vale Farm shop for the Halloween Hunt as we have done for the last few years but we were an hour early so we had our breakfast which we were going to have as an elevenses later on. Jean was horrified that it didn't start until 10 am 'That's nearly lunch time!'

Mary resented being in her buggy so went off for a wonder.

Her sister joined her

Then they went to play on the swings

There was the cutest blonde bunny that Jean pointedly ignored (still being too sad about Blacky Buns departure to the meadow in the sky) and that Mary spent ages pointing too and announcing Ca'!

Me and Jean had the most delicous icing and chocolate covered apple danishes whilst Mary had everything free batty cupcake that Mummy had made especially for her little allergy bunny.

Jean decided that being in her lovely coat and wearing her pretty dress it was time to go and do some construction work.

Mary decided that it was time to leave home and found herself a nice little shack

We then went on the Halloween Hunt which both girls loved!

Jean loves Harry Potter and Scooby Boo so was very very happy with a few of the things on the Halloween trail 🙂

Jean tried to show Mary how the Pumpkin and spoon race worked but didn't entirely do it properlly herself!

Mary just didn't get it at all but loved running around with the minni pumpkin!

So much so that Jean decided to buy her one to take home with us!

The girls loved the maze thingy made of trees and we started working on a poem about it - maybe it will make it into a little book of poetry at some point :).

I found a cool piece of farm equipement to photo - sadly I forgot to ask what it was for 🙁

We then walked down to Subway for lunch and saw a heron! It flew right over the top of us in it slow ungainly way - Jean couldn't remember what it was just that it was one of the 'Mill' birds.

If you want to see any of the photos in a bigger format just click on them 🙂

Also don't forget to download your free copy of The Little Book of Spoogy Poetry - it is only free until midnight on the 31st of October!