Balmoral Burn

I don't mind Jules being away during the week, in a way it's easier only having to worry about my and the kids' timetables, but on the weekend it's hard.  We've had 2 weekends in a row where one of the kids needs to be out of the house by 7.30am on both mornings.  That is, quite frankly, not very sociable neither is it conducive to yummy breakfasts and lots of cups of tea which are 2 things I like very much on the weekend.  

Due to work I have been feeling very reclusive and out of touch with my friends and there was quite a number of us who were without our husbands on Friday night which was a good excuse to have a couple of glasses of champagne together.  Such a large number of children needed feeding so that they didn't turn feral but there were too many of them to fit round the dining room table so the only option was the deck.  The weather has turned this week with temperatures around 15 degrees during the day if you're in the sunshine so night times are cold and it was a real test of the heat strips we put in - luckily they were up to the task. 

Tess had basketball on Saturday, a very tight match that sadly they lost, after which we came back home and set to work getting all the heaters out and cleaning them up ready for winter.  

 Alex, Bec Winton, Tess, Liv

Tess and Liv with huge Nutella, strawberry and cream pancakes

On Sunday morning Tess was up bright and early for the Balmoral Burn, a charity run that takes place near to her school.  It's not the length of the course that is the issue but the gradient which at it's steepest reaches 30% - it is not for the faint hearted.  Tess and her friend Liv were taken for well deserved pancakes afterwards.  

Tom has discovered Ripsticks which we're thinking might take the place of skateboarding.  Although it's a type of glorified skateboard from what I can see it's not possible to do the same types of tricks as on a skateboard as you're so busy concentrating on the fact that the 2 parts of the boards are constantly going in different directions.  He went with a friend to the local netball courts and took to it like a duck to water.  Guess what he's begging me to buy him!