Big Hint

Another sign of Autumn? How about this for a can't-ignore-it hint:

Pavement Artists

Signs of Autumn

It's beginning to look a lot like Autumn...

 

Honeysuckle berries

Rose hips

Pyracanthus berries

Crab apples

Rosehips again

And of course the leaves... everything is in fancy-dress and out to impress.

Growing up

Guess who started school today?

Not that he's very proud of himself or anything...

He ran right into the classroom like he owned the place and got right on with playing. I had to go after him to get a goodbye kiss! I am thrilled for him. I am pleased he is so confident that he doesn't even feel the need to say goodbye... he knows I'll come and get him. He knows where he belongs.

He had a great morning. He was lucky - they had an acting group come in and perform Peter Pan for the whole school. And tomorrow the nursery (which he is in) is having a 'Come As A Pirate' day with pirate activities and a treasure hunt!

He can't wait to go back tomorrow.

And here's the whole crew. Such big boys.

Popping Peas

Our sugar snaps and mangetouts have gone all old and horrible. Probably as a result of not being taken care of during our sojourn in the sun. Perhaps they are sulking and complaining due to lack of sun. Anyway, they weren't producing anything and the pods they had on them were looking decidedly swollen and past it from the mange-tout point of view. So I picked them (with help of my beautiful assistant) and then had him remove all the peas and put them in a bowl to be incorporated into a chicken soup. He did very well, and was very proud of himself. A good job for a tiddler...

By the way, another good job for a tiddler who wants to help with supper prep is cutting up mushrooms. It generally doesn't matter what size the lumps are in or if they are neat and mushrooms can be cut with a butter knife. Perfect, and it is a genuinely useful job, which is great for both of you.