Summer Bucket List #3: Geocaching

We have fancied geocaching or letter-boxing as it used to be called for a long time but never got round to it. When we were writing the bucket list we just had to add it.

If you want to know more about The Summer Bucket List, please see this post here.

So I downloaded the app and they give you three caches to find for free to see if you like it. The first one looked as if it was basically a really good stone's throw from the back of our house. To be fair it would definitely be an olympic javelin athlete, but still, pretty close to us.

This is the view from the back of our house, only not so close sadly, and the gps was pointing that it was somewhere up there.

 Ali was on a mission and his monocular was in his hand :-)

 We let him guide us

Even when he decided we must walk vertically up to the coast path.

 After much to-ing and fro-ing, where we were very impressed with the accuracy of the app. Of course my brain knows that satellites are clever-y old things made by brain-boxes, but my inner-child was all WOW and OOOH and AHHHH.

We ended up scrambling around the tree trunks and I was heartily glad that no-one came along. In future, I won't mind so much as I have the experience of actually finding it, but at that point I did feel foolish!

There it is, an old 35mm camera film case tucked into the ivy.

Inside was a piece of paper to log your name. Well of course, we didn't have a pen so we couldn't add to it. But still, we were happy we found it.

The best bit was the reason for the clue and the geocache being placed there:

The tree it was in was with it's twin and the trees are Wych Elms and rare in Britain. I would never have known that so it was great to find that out. Some kind soul (or the council) put a bench there so we could sit and enjoy.

Mum came up with a great idea to take the flower and leaves of the trees to see if we could press them.

I have now included the pressings in Project Life. Love that.

 Ali explored and found a cool geronimo moment.

 As we walked along to Langleigh Lane to get home we could smell this glorious honeysuckle before we could see it.

 Ali enjoyed sauntering along with his pokey stick.

The dawgs were pulling as usual.

It was a very satisfying trip and I will definitely be doing it again.

Summer Bucket List #3: Geocaching. Done =)

 Mum and Ali under the rare Wych Elms.

 The cache itself.

 The left hand side of the dividers.

The right hand side of the dividers.

I loved scrapping it and now it is tucked nicely into the project life album.

What's next?

I missed you! & Summer Bucket List #2: The Beach for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

A Summer Bucket List Post

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Most mornings over the last month I have thought; "When I get home tonight I will blog something from the Summer Bucket List". Then when I stagger in through the door to hug the kids or deal ineptly with whatever has been going on with them, I think how did I think I was going to write anything??!!

It has been an extremely rewarding month in the amount I have learned about my new job, the new format I am working in and the myriad 'things' that need to be done to get my new store opened on 28th August! And this is from someone that has been involved in opening 3 other stores. But this one is mine and I am coming from it in a different role, so while that experience has been INVALUABLE it is still consuming. So apologies for being away.

I hope you have been enjoying this summer weather, how glorious it is and how welcome after the never-ending winter and the facsimile summers we have had recently. It is not fun to work in the heat, I think I can speak for everyone there! But to be able to come home at whatever hour and eat dinner in the garden in peace and quiet (well as much as it is quiet with 10 children from our group of back gardens at some process of bath and bedtime going on through the open windows).

I think (*with fingers tightly crossed*) that I have finally recruited my team. I am absolutely blown away (as I am every time I recruit, I find it very, very hard to deselect anyone for interview and even harder after that to say no to anyone, so a massively emotional process for me.) by the new staff I have found. I am tempted to tell you all about them but they may find out and run away from me for being so weird (and sue me). I cannot wait to start working with them.

So I upped and tooken the weekend off.

My initial plan, which I knew deep in my heart was never gonna happen, was to sit in my garden with my summer bucket list scrap box and scrap my little heart out. However, my conscience told me that there was a big job to be done before that...the boys room, it needed gutting out ready for planned decoration in September/October and I knew this is the last realistic day I could get that done. Anyway, you DO NOT want to know any more about that job. Suffice to say.....no, no more to say on that actually.

So, next on the Summer Bucket List to tell you about? Well it was our beach day. I wanted us all to go on a beach day to Woolacombe; our local sandy beach, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I hate to go to the beach for anything less. The kids get wet and sandy, everything gets wet and sandy and it all takes an age to sort out when we get home, so I don't want to do that for a mere jaunt. Also they charge anywhere between £5 and £10 for the parking so you need to get your money's worth, no? The main reason though? Once I am set up, I do not want to shift until I am at that stage of sun, where you are just starting to tingle.

 Louis and Alexander, see what I did there? Just reminded you that The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, just named their baby son, (you know, the one who is going to be King and all), after my boys.

Do you think Prince George Alexander Louis will hang his tongue out when he is concentrating on the next kick? I should hope so.  

Mum had an awesome time relaxing and enjoying her book (although she may have been on Candy Crush, darn that round 29!)

 Lauren came, I hoped she would but wasn't sure. She had a nice time and was super happy I took this shot ;) She hadn't done her hair or anythink!

 Her maternal Nanny was in Devon too and brought her sisters down to the beach so we nabbed them all to extend the fun and give Lauren and her sisters Lily and Louann time to play.

Then we thought about heading down to the sea as the afternoon waned.

Lauren's boyf Adam came down after his driving lesson and it was nice to see them all together and for Adam to spend time with Lauren's sisters.

Alex wasn't convinced it was warm enough.

Nor were Adam and Lauren!

Louis and Alex gave it a go, but on the whole they decided it was too cold. Louis and I have wetsuits that fit so we went and put them on.

And we had a whale of a time!

We came out once we were exhausted from chasing waves and jogged up to our camp to get our sausages as we were having a sausage sizzle...to be met with a cold camp fire! The gas bottle was empty.

Well we had to get fish and chips on the way home didn't we.

I love my Studio Calico Atlantic Scrapping kit, I have had such fun with it. I added in to it the Two Peas In A Bucket digital kits and add ons. All the photos used Adrienne Loomis' photoshop action to process them. I also downloaded the cut files for star constellations which cut perfectly.
Thanks for stopping by. I do hope to post the next bucket list item soon: geocaching.

Midsummer Day: Sunset 21:36

So in my previous post I showed my photos of sunrise this morning and now I can show you sunset this evening. It was amazing, it wasn't the best sunset I have ever seen but the sun was a ball of gold which is always amazing :)

Now, I am soo tired :) It was definitely worth it though.

I can't wait to scrap them.

I love Midsummer Day, I hope you had a good one.

Midsummer Day: Sunrise 05:01

June 24th, Midsummer Day, one of the quarter days of England, The Feast of St John The Baptist. 

There is something as magical as Christmas and the winter quarter day about Midsummer for me. It hasn't been very pleasant or summery at all the past 2 years but today was promised to be better so I set my alarm to see if I could drag myself out of bed to see the sunrise. I did and it was worth every yawn I shall stretch today =)

Take no notice of the wonky horizon, it's not real, the sea isn't going to run off, just 5am eyes lol.

Whatever you are doing today, I wish you a very Happy Midsummer Day. 

Summer Bucket List #1. Devon County Show

I have kept meaning to go to the Devon County Show, well at least since I moved back home to Devon 8 years ago. 

As a teenager? No, it was not something I would have wanted to do. I wanted out of the country and to get to a city and when I didn't want to study on a beautiful spring evening I made myself think about the city and how COOL it would be. It was COOL and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, but when it was time to come back I started to think that the county show would be fun. Anyhoo, I never work out enough in advance to take the weekend off ( I work in retail and Saturdays are manic).

This time I really fancied it and knowing that I have a child young enough to still want to go made my mind up. I arranged with the school to take him out for the day (they are really good about this sort of thing knowing that a lot of parents work all the seasonal times as that is when it is busy).

 Ali loved seeing all the animals, but it was so interesting to see him be a bit wary, at his age I had lived on an island and then next to a farm so I was unafraid of animals and used to handling and being around them, It made me really happy that I had done this for him.

One of the first prize winners :)

A Goat in a (very fancy) Coat :)

I loved seeing the judges in bowler hats.

Camilla was there.

The dancing diggers were there, and who doesn't love dancing diggers?

Pocket money was spent on a new cuddly, a snake!

We went to the fun fair whilst Nanny went to the flower pavilion. "It went up and then it went down Nanny, it was awesome" :)

Ali was invited to sit on the paramedics motorbike, I think he seemed pretty happy with that :)

We saw the TV cameras, a juggler and the BMX stunt team.

After all the excitement we all needed to slow down and instead of going home we went down to the showground and spent 4 hours there just chilling and watching the amazing entertainment.

I know my friend Maria will enjoy these snaps.

Ali met some new friends and played for ages.

And we just chilled out so much after a hard and cold winter. Just lovely to be in the sunshine.

(Simple Stories Vintage Bliss papers. Minibook instructions from Sue) Thank you, Sue.

It was just blinkin' lovely and so gorgeous to be out of doors with my dookie :)

A great start to our Summer Bucket List. The point of which to me is to get outdoors with the family or to spend time with them that we might all have let slide.

I totally recommend attending your County Show. Devon is first, so there may still be time to go to yours.

Perfick.