Hi,

so here are just a few snaps from my hols with grandma and grandy. This one is of the three of us at the Cotton Mill Museum in Matlock, was really interesting seeing all the old machinery and they had old shoes from the workers, tiny shoes that must have been worn by children. The noise of just one machine working was deafening after a while so you just couldn;'t imagine the conditions and noise the workers would have had to put up with! Below is Grandma and Grandy in Eyam, the plague village. Again it was fascinating looking around the museum which had time lines of when the people caught the plague and how quickly it went through the villagers, it had who died in each house in each family, the symptoms of the plague, stories of some of the villagers... really interesting and deeply saddening too, felt quite emotional walking around some of the houses.
Grandy and Grandma at the mill in matlock
The bobbin room - it had thousands of bobbins all hanging around the place, all different sizes.
Grandy and grandma taking photos and looking round the outside of the mill at matlock.

Well my first week back at school has been really productive and organised suprisingly! My numeracy management stuff is going well, my teaching is going well too. The children were a little chatty today and the girls are just so frustrating when they fall out! The thing is I remember vividly how I used to fall out with Hayley and Justine... we used to be best friends one minute the fall out the next then by home time we'd be planning the games we would play the next day...

We are in the process of getting displays ready for the hall - I am trying to do a french one but also wanting to make it interactive and exciting... how???!!! help any ideas welcome!!!

Tim is out tonight with work people, they said I could go but none of the other wives have gone so I thought I would feel a bit odd and they are bound to be talking chemistry all night. So I have had a chinese take away and a large glass of wine, the kittens are being so naughty fighting all the time, I think they want to go outside but it is dark so they can't! I have been very brave and let them out all week after school for a few hours.

Tomorrow Tim and I are going shopping in Derby in the morning then we are off to Oxford to celebrate Katie's birthday and Kath and Jason's engagement. It should be a fun evening. We are leaving our kittens on their own for one night, I am sure they will be fine but I worry about them....

better scoot now, I am watching Ally McBeal then am going to have a long soak in the bath before going to be and having a LOOOOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGGgggggggggg lie in tomorrow,

BYE XXXX

Hi,

I haven't written in ages and haven't had time to edit any of my photos from last week. Just so busy getting ready for school again and starting back today, I now have a bit of a headache...

We had a lovely week with my grandparents, we went to Eyam, Matlock, Bakewell and did lots of exploring. I know my grandparents had a fun time. They loved our kittens.

Tim and I have a madly busy May with going to Oxford this weekend to celebrate Kath and Jason's engagement at Katie's house, then Tim is jet setting off to America for work (I am going to be soooooooo sad... I hate the thought of him on an aeroplane without me, I miss him soooo much...), I am off on a school residential trip (why did I say yes???aaaghhh!) then I am off to Guernsey at the end of May for half term to sort a million and one wedding bits out! It will be so much fun but very busy!

Well no other news from me, just work stuff to do, chat soon, gemma x

Tim has been busy today doing our fireplace. It is starting to come together but the process of putting it together is slow. Grandma, Grady and I went to Carsington Water today, it has a lovely tea room. We are off to dinner tonight so best scoot, chat soon, gemma x

Grandad has been working hard all of yesterday and today cleaning our oven, I wish I had taken a before picture of the right hand side. Tim and I hadn't ventured to even look at that side, it was gross... caked in layers of fat and grease about 2cm thick!!! Grandad had to use a paint scraper to get the worst of it off and look how sparkly it has come up!! It's amazing, good as new!!!

It is grey inside!! who would have known...

We are still having fun in our garden, I had done more on digging up the brambles and weeds. I disturbed a giant frog today, he hopped along most put out about it but found a new sleeping place under some stones.

Tim and I also went to Debenhams to do our wedding gift list today, was lots of fun zapping things with this hand held scanner!!! We still need to add a few bits that weren't in the Derby store which we can do online. It felt very strange putting together a list of presents we would like, we are just SO incredibly grateful that so many of our family and friends are making the effort to come to our wedding, we would rather that than pressies. We are going to make sure everyone has a fantastic time!

Tim is busy starting our fire place at the moment. It is going to look great, bit tricky as we need the gas man to come and do some bits to it before we can finish it.

Well better scoot, off to Carsington Water tomorrow we think and Eyam on Monday. Lots of places to visit but the weather isn't that great - very unpredictable!

chat again soon, hugs, gemma

p.s Ant pleased you got back safely, call me on skype when you are settled and not jet lagged. I am on holiday till next Monday so you can get hold of me any time.

Above is the area outside our kitchen that Grandma has been working on. Looking good, we are going to make a lovely herb garden above it then we can get a lovely table and chair set for when the weather starts getting warm!!!

Below I have started making another big pile of stuff for tim to burn!
Here is my patch at the top of the garden so far, I have been working on it on and off all day inbetween all that rain... There are SO many worms so the soil must be good for growing things.

Grandma and Grandad being loved by my kittens...

We have been busy working in the garden already (unfortunately it is tipping it down today and forecast to tip it down all weekend), we have got rid of our old broken greenhouse and started clearing the paths and back of the garden. There is some really good soil underneath so we may have a vegetable patch one day!

Grandma has been very busy clearing our path, it now is looking fab!


Me and my baby Oscar.

More photos of baby William, looking as gorgeous as ever!!!! He is now about two and half weeks old. He behaved very well for me, had a few littles cries to start then settled - I had LOTS of cuddles! Laura and I also had a good chance to catch up.
He's looking like a real little boy and his eyes are starting to focus on things too!
And couldn't resist putting photos of my little babies on here, especially seeing they have had one very stressful week - cattery at the weekend which they hated and then yesterday we had to starve them so they could be neutered... they are acting like it never happened so not in any pain which is good.

Well no news from me, excited about Grandma and Grandy coming over from Guernsey on Thursday. Tomorrow is my BIG STYLEEE tidy up day!

Big hugs, gemma x

my babies

Seonaid and Lexie's wedding (part two)

Above is tim and I at the end of the night, I think we look ok and not too drunken... Although I really am blancing on tim at this point! Below is Ant balancing on Katie!



My sister and, as she kept reminding me, her brother to be!













It really was a fab day and evening!

Seonaid and Lexie's wedding (part one)

So Seonaid and Lexie got married yesterday, it was loads of fun! I drank far too much sparkling wine and danced a lot, I am suffering today with lack of sleep!!! Seonaid looked fab, and Ant looked beautiful as bridesmaid.





Below is a photo of Ant pulling a silly face at Tim, she kept introducing him to all her friends as her future brother to be!!!
Shame Gareth has his eyes closed! Had to put it on though cause Ant looks nice in it.

Ant's hair




Dougald, his speach was lovely, very funny and sweet.







There are tons more photos, it is just taking me ages to make them small enough to go on my blog. Will keep going xxx