5 May 2007 Alison

I was carried away yesterday with the wonder of Olivia and I forgot to blog about Alison who has excellent news. She had her 13 week scan yesterday and her little one is fine. Apparently just the right size and something about the back of the neck being just right. So hooray Alison. Only another six months to go and Olivia will have one more cousin. There is a coven of cousins now but I still have enough fingers to count them on.

Another note about Alison - how can I find out why my computer is so nasty to me re blogging? I guess I have to find a geek which is fine with me but how and where? In the meantime, you can keep my calendar for me. I will e-mail you my diary and you can be my secretary. Fair do's for having my ID and password!
Love, Mum

4 June 2007 Olivia Rose Hacking

Olivia Rose was born today at 8am. She weighed in at 8lb 10oz and is 21.5in long. Apparently she has a big head so it is just as well that she was born by C-section. Her dad reports that she has been yelling and kicking her way through the first day of her life. They are so proud and so am I. She is my 8th grandchild, 3rd granddaughter and I am thrilled to have her on board with this generation. She has wonderful parents and lots of excellent cousins. I can't wait to see her in the flesh but in the meantime, keep the pictures coming, Uncle Frankie. They are a treasure.

Daddy Dan

Momma Michelle

The Princess

Shaker Boxes

Alison sanding

Anne hammering

Sian and Pat looking good

1-3 June 2007 - The weekend was spent at Earnley, a tiny village near Chichester on the south coast. They run residential courses in all manner of things. Alison, Sian, Pat and I signed up for the Shaker Box weekend course. I almost panicked when I realized that this was going to involve power tools and semi-heavy machinery to say nothing of a level of manual dexterity with which I have seldom been acquainted. I can sew and paint but those activities do not run you the risk of losing a finger. In fact, we were well taught the safety rules and regs and nobody lost anything. I came home on Monday afternoon with two boxes and a tray. They are not large and they are not perfect but they represent a fine effort at a craft which is satisfying and quite beautiful.

The actual finished boxes

In addition to an excellent learning experience, we enjoyed two nights in residence. Pat and I each had our own rooms and Alison and Sian shared. All meals were included and this meant cooked breakfast, cooked lunch and cooked dinner. There were also tea and coffee breaks with cake and biscuits. You simply turn up in the dining room at a given time and there is food ready and waiting for you. When you're finished someone else clears it away and washes up. In the evening there is a bar so a few bevvies can be enjoyed. The course itself takes place around the eating and drinking activities. We made the mistake on Friday evening of enjoying many bevvies both before and during dinner not realizing that the evening class (the first class) would involve actual manipulation of wood and tools - not power tools but Stanley knives and other pointed thingies. However, all went well and we came away on Sunday afternoon with heads held high and all fingers intact. It is a definite "do again" weekend.