We both woke late, which wasn't good as we were expecting visitors and had to tidy up one of the rooms to make it presentable... I whizzed the soup and chopped up a Turk's Turban squash and microwaved it before roasting it in the oven.
Then at midday, my younger brother Tom, his wife Kate, her mum Jenny and three children arrived; we were a bit flustered but soon calmed down and made coffees and chatted, then warmed the soup and rolls, and served the with slices of roast squash. This seemed to be reasonably received.
We had a bit more chat and then Tom wanted to visit York centre, as Jenny hasn't seen it for 10 years and that was her first visit... so the visitors piled into the car and I went with them, we drove to the Monkgate car park and I took them to the Minster, where we looked at the roof bosses designed by Blue Peter viewers and tried to find the oldest tomb... then out to Stonegate where were entertained by my friend who's name might be Michael Mime, or purpleman, who was doing his cyclist 'statue' and for a donation in the tin, offers to paint the donor's hair purple.
From there we looked briefly into Barley Hall, walked down The Shambles and into Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate and then to the Anti Gravity shop, where Martin was only too happy to shop the children some of his awesome 'Yoyo Monster' tricks. Then back to Monkgate and Tom gave me a lift back to Hull Road as he was going this way back to Sheffield anyway... A lovely visit, I really enjoyed seeing them.
A large pile of washing up faced me when I got back home but I ploughed through it bit by bit whilst playing Scrabble on facebook, blogging, persuading the children to go to bed and encouraging Gill with her lovely arty doodles!
Showing posts with label family visit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family visit. Show all posts
A quiet day in the house, I was feeling subdued and I think the rest of the family were too. But we were expecting a visit from Gill's sister Jane, and husband Mike, at 2pm, so we were reasonably busy tidying and making our front room presentable. I also worked out train times and booked taxis for tomorrow, as I'm going to Northallerton and then on to Masham for the Black Sheep Brewery's usual Christmas 'do' where I'm a regular entertainer.
It was good to see Jane and Mike and chat, see some recent photos of new family members, and I showed them their son's facebook page with a funny photo of him messing around at work, which amused them. At about the same time that they went, I cycled down to Country Fresh as I won't be able to do so tomorrow as I'm working all day.
During the early evening I put together Ben and Jill's Christmas request; that I should find 5 big jars and 7 small ones and fill each one with a mixture of dried fruit... and they will then give them as Christmas presents to assorted family members. I walked them round, and Jill was really pleased. I'll be paid Yorkys later.
Enjoyed a lengthy session of Scrabble on facebook, whilst listening to Jango which gives me assorted music, most of which I like, and that which I don't, I can instruct it not to play me again.
It was good to see Jane and Mike and chat, see some recent photos of new family members, and I showed them their son's facebook page with a funny photo of him messing around at work, which amused them. At about the same time that they went, I cycled down to Country Fresh as I won't be able to do so tomorrow as I'm working all day.
During the early evening I put together Ben and Jill's Christmas request; that I should find 5 big jars and 7 small ones and fill each one with a mixture of dried fruit... and they will then give them as Christmas presents to assorted family members. I walked them round, and Jill was really pleased. I'll be paid Yorkys later.
Enjoyed a lengthy session of Scrabble on facebook, whilst listening to Jango which gives me assorted music, most of which I like, and that which I don't, I can instruct it not to play me again.
Not a particularly hurried start, but got up in good time to get into my Fiddlesticks clothes and bike loaded up to go to Lesley the Facepainter's house, as she was going to the same event as me and had agreed to give me a lift. I got going at about 10.30 and the rain started... and got extremely heavy so when I arrived at Lesley's, I was soaked! Dumped the bike and put gear in the car and she drove to South Milford, where the school was having a fun day, from 12 til 4. I did four hours continuous workshops and shows, teaching devilsticks, juggling, unicycle and diabolo. I rewarded youngsters who worked hard at the different skills with a balloon animal, and other kiddies wanted them too, so I was busy til after 4.. and the weather held, it didn't rain and it was a really good event.
I was given four unsold pots of lettuce seedlings to take home... I offered Lesley two of them but she only wanted one. I managed to wedge the three pots in with my clobber and got home just before 6... Gill's sister Linda had arrived to spend the weekend with us before visiting other friends and relations in the North.
Gill had made a tasty grain dish, using hot water in the latest nearly empty Marmite jar to provide taste to the bulgar wheat... and we had some delicious green tomato chutney with this... very nice!
I spent an hour in the garden after this, dealing with several sacks and boxes of compostables which went into the compostumbler, with cardboard, and twigs from the high winds recently which I collected and shredded.
A relaxing evening, good to chat with Linda.
I was given four unsold pots of lettuce seedlings to take home... I offered Lesley two of them but she only wanted one. I managed to wedge the three pots in with my clobber and got home just before 6... Gill's sister Linda had arrived to spend the weekend with us before visiting other friends and relations in the North.
Gill had made a tasty grain dish, using hot water in the latest nearly empty Marmite jar to provide taste to the bulgar wheat... and we had some delicious green tomato chutney with this... very nice!
I spent an hour in the garden after this, dealing with several sacks and boxes of compostables which went into the compostumbler, with cardboard, and twigs from the high winds recently which I collected and shredded.
A relaxing evening, good to chat with Linda.
A lazy start to the day, no wonder after a busy day yesterday, working and partying!
But all is tranquill in the Cossham household, boys having been taken to the Leeds 'National Armouries Museum' yesterday by Gilly, which they enjoyed some of but not all.
Got a phone call from my folks saying they might pop in later after visiting the Bolton Percy open gardens day. Just hope they aren't wanting to put the car in the front garden as it has reverted to a woodyard fuel-depot.....
The day progressed peacefully enough. I went to Country Fresh and when I got back my folks had arrived and they stayed for an hour, had a hot drink and went. No hassles, thank goodness! They had parked in a nearby side road, very sensible.
A quiet evening and no appreciable bad behaviour incidents, which is absolutely fantastic!
But all is tranquill in the Cossham household, boys having been taken to the Leeds 'National Armouries Museum' yesterday by Gilly, which they enjoyed some of but not all.
Got a phone call from my folks saying they might pop in later after visiting the Bolton Percy open gardens day. Just hope they aren't wanting to put the car in the front garden as it has reverted to a woodyard fuel-depot.....
The day progressed peacefully enough. I went to Country Fresh and when I got back my folks had arrived and they stayed for an hour, had a hot drink and went. No hassles, thank goodness! They had parked in a nearby side road, very sensible.
A quiet evening and no appreciable bad behaviour incidents, which is absolutely fantastic!
Up reasonably early to sort out some fruit which has been hanging around and Gill's asked me to remove. Washed, halved, cored, peeled and sliced a tray-full of pears and melon for drying before breakfast... then had breakfast and went back to bed for 45 minutes to finish off a NewScientist. I'm still a month behind!
Then got up and did more tidying.... why are we so messy? Having children doesn't help, especially if they're either fighting or trailing round after you saying 'I'm bored'. Very frustrating... and when asked to do some simple bit of help, they say 'Don't want to do that' and I then feel like saying 'P*ss off then' but I don't, as swearing at your children isn't a good idea, so I smile sweetly and tell them to go and find something to do in their rooms and not get under our feet.
Rang my parents to see if any of the German part of the family are coming over this morning, but they are undecided and are coming over to York but not this morning, we may get a visit this afternoon. I've asked that they ring first as I may still have my Channel 4 visitor, who's coming at about 12.30. She's from 'Diverse' and they might be making a programme about people who take being 'green' very seriously, as it's all too common to hear people say 'I recycle therefore I'm green' or 'I use public transport instead of my car once a week, therefore I'm green' but obviously they aren't as being green entails many changes, root and branch. But this is an exploratory meeting to see if I'm the right person for the programme.
Lorraine came at 12.40, she'd got a train from London and then the No. 10 bus up here. She chatted and had a herb tea as I had lunch and Gill got the boys ready to go out, and when they eventually went, we did the filming, starting with the woodstoves and then the logpiles and materials recycling, then the composting and food growing, compost toilet... lots to show her and only a short time in which to do it. Hopefully she'll have got some useful stuff and her colleagues at C4 will decide I'm one of the people to be used in the programme. However it doesn't matter really if nothing comes of it, I'm sure someone else could do just as well as me.
She went soon after 4 and I went to the fruit shop... not just any fruit shop but the new! improved!! repainted!!! "Country Fresh" on Heslington Road and picked up a sack of stuff and some mushrooms so the boyos could have something tasty for tea... and of course, I love to have a bit of a cycle every day!
When I got back, the family hadn't come home so I went down the garden and did a little bit of compost management... but had a sneaking suspicion that Uncle Bill and family might be coming.... so I went to the front to be there incase they came. Funnily enough, just half an hour later, I glanced up to see a car going past with waving people in it and a couple of minutes later, my 3 cousins Micky, Christopher and Margarita, and Uncle Bill all trouped in. Micky has been studying in Sheffield so I've seen him recently, and I bumped into Margarita at the Big Green Gathering a couple of years ago, but I haven't seen Christopher for 34 years, apparently. And it's always good to see Bill as we are quite alike. My father tells me that as he goes senile, he'll start to call me William as I'm just like his older brother...
They came in and sat and chatted, then Gill and the boys appeared. Soon I took them for a short tour of the garden and at about 6.30 they went back to Sheffield. I don't see Bill very often as he lives in Germany, I don't know where Margarita lives and Christopher is a lorry driver in London, so might not see him much. However, good to see them all together.
A bready tea and a quiet evening, quick skype call with my friend in the US, with webcams working this time... the first time they have both worked perfectly for a long time. Hers often 'freezes' and she thinks this may be to some of the other things that I've got open on my computer... but nothing was different so I think it could be at her end. Weird. But good to chat and really good to keep it to an hour as I wanted to spend some time with Gill this evening.
Delighted again to see the chaos at Terminal 5 continued today... long may this continue! I want to see FEWER flights!
Then got up and did more tidying.... why are we so messy? Having children doesn't help, especially if they're either fighting or trailing round after you saying 'I'm bored'. Very frustrating... and when asked to do some simple bit of help, they say 'Don't want to do that' and I then feel like saying 'P*ss off then' but I don't, as swearing at your children isn't a good idea, so I smile sweetly and tell them to go and find something to do in their rooms and not get under our feet.
Rang my parents to see if any of the German part of the family are coming over this morning, but they are undecided and are coming over to York but not this morning, we may get a visit this afternoon. I've asked that they ring first as I may still have my Channel 4 visitor, who's coming at about 12.30. She's from 'Diverse' and they might be making a programme about people who take being 'green' very seriously, as it's all too common to hear people say 'I recycle therefore I'm green' or 'I use public transport instead of my car once a week, therefore I'm green' but obviously they aren't as being green entails many changes, root and branch. But this is an exploratory meeting to see if I'm the right person for the programme.
Lorraine came at 12.40, she'd got a train from London and then the No. 10 bus up here. She chatted and had a herb tea as I had lunch and Gill got the boys ready to go out, and when they eventually went, we did the filming, starting with the woodstoves and then the logpiles and materials recycling, then the composting and food growing, compost toilet... lots to show her and only a short time in which to do it. Hopefully she'll have got some useful stuff and her colleagues at C4 will decide I'm one of the people to be used in the programme. However it doesn't matter really if nothing comes of it, I'm sure someone else could do just as well as me.
She went soon after 4 and I went to the fruit shop... not just any fruit shop but the new! improved!! repainted!!! "Country Fresh" on Heslington Road and picked up a sack of stuff and some mushrooms so the boyos could have something tasty for tea... and of course, I love to have a bit of a cycle every day!
When I got back, the family hadn't come home so I went down the garden and did a little bit of compost management... but had a sneaking suspicion that Uncle Bill and family might be coming.... so I went to the front to be there incase they came. Funnily enough, just half an hour later, I glanced up to see a car going past with waving people in it and a couple of minutes later, my 3 cousins Micky, Christopher and Margarita, and Uncle Bill all trouped in. Micky has been studying in Sheffield so I've seen him recently, and I bumped into Margarita at the Big Green Gathering a couple of years ago, but I haven't seen Christopher for 34 years, apparently. And it's always good to see Bill as we are quite alike. My father tells me that as he goes senile, he'll start to call me William as I'm just like his older brother...
They came in and sat and chatted, then Gill and the boys appeared. Soon I took them for a short tour of the garden and at about 6.30 they went back to Sheffield. I don't see Bill very often as he lives in Germany, I don't know where Margarita lives and Christopher is a lorry driver in London, so might not see him much. However, good to see them all together.
A bready tea and a quiet evening, quick skype call with my friend in the US, with webcams working this time... the first time they have both worked perfectly for a long time. Hers often 'freezes' and she thinks this may be to some of the other things that I've got open on my computer... but nothing was different so I think it could be at her end. Weird. But good to chat and really good to keep it to an hour as I wanted to spend some time with Gill this evening.
Delighted again to see the chaos at Terminal 5 continued today... long may this continue! I want to see FEWER flights!
