weekendering...

...a new word I have invented, sort of like meandering...but all weekend long...

lazy mornings (image from Song of Spring)

I find that on a Saturday morning it takes the kids a few hours to get started. They come periodically after breakfast asking if they can watch telly. I just smile and say no and they wander off. Finally, after an hour or so of wandering around the house, play beings.

Sometimes a few words of guidance, an observation sparks them off: 'Oh the kitchen looks like a shop when it's that way round...' and the game began. Coins and purses found, a tiny chest of drawers for a till. Lots of wonderful planning and negotiation of who was who and what they had to do and say, and then, let's do it all again!

and then the shop became a train and I was the granny (knitting of course) and they had to speed between me and the shops...I lived in paradise don't you know!

After lunch they moved outdoors to the sand kitchen

and created amazing jungles and pies.

This guy has been sitting at the bottom of our garden for 2 days now. It's so amazing to have a resident bird of prey, Andy and I are not very good bird spotters and we just can't decide if he is a sparrowhawk or a merlin (anyone care to enlighten us?)

More play again indoors. This is an agent's den (this game was sparked by the bird book somehow).

On Saturday afternoon the cowboys abandoned their circle of covered wagons to go to a birthday party. They came home absolutely filthy, absolutely exhausted and absolutely happy. It was a great party!
Sunday began as it does most Sundays with some Lego play:

a 'Zoow'
Then we had some spies coming to do some work...

they needed rubber gloves and evidence bags and dark clothing:-)

Joa did lots of play dough

and spent the rest of the weekend trying to break himself. He cut his lip and bumped a bump he already had on his head poor man!
But he also really enjoyed playing with Sally, Benny's doll.

Perhaps he will be getting one for his 2nd Birthday in June?

I also had a little time to work on some custom order dolls,
including this wee 16 inch doll. I have stopped posting all the dolls I make but you can see them all here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.200309726670665.50459.171652652869706&type=3)

We ended our weekend with huge portions of apple crumble and cream and an impromptu adventure over the fields, through the woods and along the beach.(image from Song of Spring)

Ah the bliss of weekendering :-)