this and that

It is ever so quiet in the house, all I can hear is the tick tock of grandfather clock in the hallway. Just the way I like it after two noisy weeks with four children running wild from morning to evening. The house is reasonably tidy, the washing folded and I am enjoying breakfast

The spring holiday passed quickly. Some of the plans and wishes for the holiday (see here) were turned into reality, others weren't. Some were modified and combined. Some I have shared here and here.

The weather turned from terrible to ok to absolutely wonderful during the holidays. Our activities were mostly guided by the weather.

Some other things we did:

My mum treated us to lunch at Ikea and she bought the children a denim covered Klippan sofa for their own space in the room we call the study but is more of an all purpose place to hang out, watch a spot of telly (which only plays BBC iPlayer, no aerial), use the family computer, fold the washing and put up guests. Ikea may not be a place to enjoy Haute Cuisine but it is family friendly, cheap and cheerful and best of all, it has a free crèche for little creatures.

We went on a long walk around Mugdock Loch in Mugdock Country Park with my friend Christine and her two children. The weather was only just ok but we enjoyed our first picnic of the year in the relative shelter of the ruined Mugdock Castle. We played hide and seek and threw stones into the loch and treated ourselves to warm drinks in the café afterwards.


We spent a day on Glasgow Green, once again with Christine and her two children. We were climbing to the top of dangerously high shoots and ropey structures (I didn't, I am a bit of a chicken when it comes to shoots). We played UNO in the grass and used the bike circuit for a wee while and warmed up inside People's Palace.



We went of another picnic in Mugdock just because we could.
 


We pottered in the garden, planting things, jumping on the trampoline, laying in the grass and hanging out many loads of washing.

We ventured out to Blair Drummond Country Park, a safari park that is fun for the children. We took a single used BBQ and cooked the first batch of sausages over hot coals, whizzed across the pond on the zip wire, visited chimpanzee island on a boat, explored lemur island, the African Plains enclosure and the pirate adventure playground.

 

We drove over the top of the world and enjoyed the stunning views.

We spent many hours on the local playground, which is 5 minutes walk from home and fun.

We had a low key Easter weekend with an egg hunt organised by Sam who is too cool to participate in the search for chocolate eggs.


We frantically ran around the house on Monday evening to put together gym kits, empty school bags, clean water bottles and find school shoes.

We are now checking the weather forecast daily to see if a camping weekend is possible soon.

Have a great week! Cx

Comments

  1. Whatever is said about Ikea, they have certainly done their research on families! We used to enjoy the breakfast at Ikea too when we lived in Sydney but unfortunately we don't have one at all on the island here. Looks like everyone had a wonderful holiday and Easter. It's always nice to be on holidays together and it's nice to enjoy the relative peace and quiet when they go back to school too, enjoy your day!!! x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Ikea is family friendly, there are few places where the kids are welcome and allowed to run a bit wild.I think our holiday was fun because I no longer work. Two weeks is just right, any longer and I get a bit grumpy.

      Delete
  2. It looks like you had a very full and happy spring break. I've never been to Ikea. I've ordered from them online and my dining room set (table, chairs, hutch) came from there but I bought it all locally on Craigslist from a lady who didn't need it anymore. I'd love to visit the actual store someday, it sounds great! I hope you're enjoy the return to normalcy this week. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have indeed been enjoying the relative quiet in the house. It is also a lot less messy when all are at school!

      Delete
  3. Brilliant photos Christina, I love the little eggs stuck on to the wall with sticky tape!
    You really made the most of the Easter break. I've got 2 back at school and 1 still on hols.
    I have a long standing ambition to go to Ikea, driven past it a couple of times but never been in - the nearest is a couple of hours away.
    Enjoy the rest of your week. X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ikea is really bad for you actually.... I always end up buying batteries and paper napkins and other not particularly useful but ever so pretty things. Sam stuck the chocolates to the wall, he has good ideas when he can drag himself away from the computer.

      Delete
  4. Our holidays coincided exactly with yours obviously, my four back to the books this week also. Ours appear to have been nowhere near as fun as yours, an observation the kids will back whole-heartedly. "How come we never have any fun?"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I often get to hear that our life is really boring and everyone else is going to Disneyworld etc...whilst we walk to the playground for a bit of fun.... Personally, I would say that spending time with you on the farm would be just the best thing ever.

      Delete
  5. Your holidays look so full and happy, and it's great to see so much fresh air and sunshine in all those photos. I know people scoff at Ikea's food but give me a plate of meatballs and chips any day, I love them! I even buy the packet mix for the sauce in the food shop on the way ourt..shh, don't tell anyone, it's my dirty secret... ;-) x

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey Christina,
    Looks and sounds like a lovely holiday had by all. Yesterday was my first child free day. I enjoyed the peace and the clearing away of stuff. I enjoyed the time to myself too. I miss Ikea. Our nearest is in Bristol, and I shall be paying a visit next weekend when I go and visit my family. I always buy napkins and candles. This time I am after picture frames for some very nice tea towels.
    Leanne xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sounds a wonderful holiday :) I had a quick trip to Ikea too just before the bank holiday and was very restrained! I only came out with 2 extra items that weren't on my list!! I was surprisingly child free and no one was able to take my money at the ice cream bit at the end....most disappointing!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wonderful holiday pics, action packed. Great that you get to spend loads of time outdoors. I love Ikea but they have yet to open any stores here in NZ yet. Have a wonderful weekend xo

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment, I love to hear from you, I really do. I sometimes reply by email but I am not all that reliable... Christina xx

Labels

Show more