Steam Fayre, Preston

We went to the Steam Fayre at Preston yesterday afternoon (it is still on today) as the littleuns spots have gone down and after being cooped up for a few days thought we would go and have some fun. What an amazing afternoon, it was just like stepping back in time to when I was a kid. It was a proper fayre with lots of rides for the kids including bumper cars and a coconut shy (my husband won two coconuts with only three balls). They were lots of steam engines of various shapes and sizes that were paraded around the show ring at various times. They were lots of old vehicles including motor bikes, cars, milk floats and an old East Kent bus.

We also found barns and yards full of old steam engines and a number of musical organs. They was a ploughing match going on with horse drawn ploughs and steam ploughs which we watched from Preston Church graveyard while drinking tea and eating delicious chocolate cake. There was also a steam train running on temporary lines.

As you can tell we had a lovely time and I would thoroughly recommend it to everyone. Next year we will take a picnic and go all day.

Swine Flu

I see we have our first case of swine flu at the Marlowe Academy (see Kent Online). I suppose as it was as close as Canterbury University it was bound to come this way sooner or later. Just spoken to a friend whose nephew goes there, it has all happened so quickly nobody knows quite what is going on yet. They are going to be advised over the weekend as to wether the school will be open next week.

Cucumber

I have managed to grow an extremely bent cucumber that would not pass an EU inspection but what the hell. I am going to leave it until the weekend and make some tzatziki out of it with some fresh baked bread, YUM!!!!!

On a more itching note my youngest has finally succumbed to Chicken Pox luckily its not too bad, he is covered in spots but they don't seem too itchy, fingers crossed this is a bad as it is going to get.

So I went up to Boots last night and bought lots of calamine lotion and cotton wool, its amazing how a smell can bring back loads of memories - laying on the settee feeling very sorry for myself, whilst my mum kept telling me to stop scratching. Trouble is I can't stop itching myself maybe I should put some lotion on me, maybe not.

Karate on the beach

My son attended Karate on the beach at Viking Bay yesterday. He has been going to classes for a few weeks and is loving it. He ended up up to his waist in the sea and loved every minute which quite surprised me as we couldn't get him in the sea last year.
We then strolled home through the crowds attending the Dickens Festival, to watch the flying displays from the Big Event at Margate from our garden. The Red Arrows were amazing, they still give me goosebumps every time I see them and flying back to Manston they came straight over the house!

Sunrise

The dog gets us up at about 5.15 most mornings ugh! So I thought I would make the most of a nice day and head for the beach early were I managed to get this quite lovely picture on my mobile phone.

My littleun has gone down the beach today with the school. The kids in his year (all ninety of them) turned up with their buckets and spades so you can imagine what Viking bay will look like when they have finished.

St Mildreds School Fete

St Mildreds school in Broadstairs is having its school fete tomorrow at 3.00pm.

There will be the usual stalls and attractions including a cake stall which I have been busy making my sticky creations for, though I slightly overdid the quantities ending up with about 56 cakes. But by the way I am having to fend off members of the family I will be lucky if I end up with 6 to take!

Beauty

My husband took this when we were on holiday a few weeks ago, I think it is a lovely photo very calm and serene.

Open Farm, Quex Park

We had a lovely time at the Open Farm day at Quex Park, my son went on every single tractor (I went in a couple as well). We saw Wellington the Bull, and went on a really bumpy and exciting tractor ride.

Strawberries

Here are two of my first home grown strawberries, they didn't last long. Hopefully there are a lot more were these came from, I just need some sunshine!

Poppies

What a lovely poppy makes you smile every time you go past.

One of our new chickens died yesterday for no apparent reason. I am keeping a close eye on the other three but they look fine, very odd.

We went and voted earlier, took the littleun with us and explained how it all worked, he was most disappointed when he found out he couldn't vote as well! Never mind only another 12 years!

Bottom

We went to the Cotswolds last week in our caravan and visited Blenheim Palace. It was a lovely day even the littleun enjoyed himself. I spotted this rather bottomly statue and couldn't resist taking a pic.