A Life And A Death

Before mowing the lawns I checked our ripest chrysalis. . . 

Gah, just too late by the time I'd finished.

There's something so enchanting about them.

Sadly, this evening we had a different kind of encounter. While we were all in the lounge we heard a thud and found a bird had flown into the side of the house. Fortunately it died instantly. P10 was intrigued, and wanted to bury it (good plan since we have cats). She kept insisting she was very excited to have the honour of carrying it to its resting place, and she made a comfy tissue bed in a box. However, when the moment came, she just couldn't pick it up.

 That's what big brothers are for though.

 L12 made a cross to mark the grave, and P10 wrote on it. She wrote: "Here lies Barry. He should have put the brakes on!", suggesting it would lighten the mood a little. I suggested that if she becomes a funeral director in later life, lightening the mood is probably not a requirement.

 L12's cross broke a number of times going in, which kinda did lighten the mood a little anyway, and we all got the giggles a bit, despite the solemnity.

 Poor birdie.

A Happy Birthday Post

for mutti. . . I did hope to put a video of L&P singing happy birthday here, but I'm a bit slack and haven't sorted it. Since she isn't online at the mo, maybe the phone singing will do! Instead, here's a pic of P10 learning free motion quilting

. . . and making a secret thing (maybe a belated birthday present, or possibly a next year Xmas present given how slack we are).

Cool Science

on a hot, hot day.

Not Jumping On A Trampoline

P10 and her friend L, quiet little bookworms. 

 But oo it's a different story when Geeky Husband gets home. . .

I'm Dreaming Of A White. . .

kitchen! I still need to paint the glass cupboards on the top left, but the rest is done. I probably will paint them white, although there's a sneaky part of me that wants to do them green. L12 reckons I should paint them with magenta splatters. He's making me feel positively conservative.

As well as re-styling the house, I also carried out a rescue mission. P10 found that the wind yesterday had knocked off a chrysalis, so we tied it up with cotton so it could hang to develop properly. I have to work out some sort of stick that can help when it's hatched so its wings can hang and not dry crumpled. Fingers crossed we got it quick enough.

Summer Rain

Apparently, this is how you do things in medieval Scotland. Cheers Horrible Histories.

To be fair, you probably did get quite wet in medieval Scotland.

Love

I know it's tragic, but a month (Christmas no less) with a broken dishwasher was just no fun at all. But look at this little beauty! Clearly the design team included a frustrated stage lighting designer.

Get this - when the cycle is finished. . . he pops open of his own accord to let things dry off.

He's almost a robot he's so clever.

The Going Away Day

Less said about this one, the better! Yesterday was the Going Away Day for M&B, but we were all very brave in the morning, and took some lovely goodbye pics. Tinting Mutti's hair pink that morning was definitely a stroke of genius to distract us all.

At Bunce's request. . . 

TEN!

Happy birthday P10. My gorgeous pink-haired happiness. How proud we all are of you. 

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It was a bit of a rough old birthday - Mutti and Bunce's last day before heading off to their new life in the South Island, and Geeky Husband's mate J's funeral as well. There were certainly some fake plastic smiles going down that day, but we hope you felt the birthday love P10.

Getting back into birthday mode at a lovely Japanese place for dinner (great choice P10).

Home for cupcake birthday cake.

Pure happiness dancing.

Moves so fast they couldn't even be captured! How do those spaghetti legs do it?

 Ah the almost-teen. Why, oh why is my sister's music so lame?