About Me

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Wife of an IT guru and mother of 1 daughter and 4 boys. I am employed as a GP associate in Spalding. I have few hobbies as I am working all the time or as a mother. I enjoy making products form things I have grown or scrumpped.

Monday, January 03, 2005

Unwraping in progress


christmas_04_01
Originally uploaded by 60N.
Chaos unleashed! We frantically made lists of who got what from whom, tried to keep momentum going by making sure the kids weren't distracted by the next shiny new toy and instead got everything open. We also tried (and failed!) to stop the sweets getting opened and eaten before dinner.

By this time everyone was hungry, the goose was smelling good and dinner was just too far away. Cue biscuits!

What you can't see through the windows is a white Christmas. We had one. Lerwick didn't. It was all very pretty and stuck around for the sledging adventures described further down the page. Next year, don't wish for a White Christmas, wish for a White Boxing Day - you've more time to enjoy the snow.

Christmas Morning - Before the Chaos


christmas_04_02
Originally uploaded by 60N.
OK. We've done Church. We've got the goose roasting. Now on to the presents. You can just about make out the Stash behind Jo, Tim, Cesca and Lubica.

So let's get rippin'

Cesca's Drawing


cesca_drawing
Originally uploaded by 60N.
This picture, held up by Francesca, was a beautiful beach in Egypt. Got to say we loved that holiday and we'll post some of the photos when we get them scanned in. We're all looking forward to returning to the Red Sea, and 'Cesca has fond and vivid memories of the whole holiday.

Post-Christmas reading


reading
Originally uploaded by 60N.
Me and the kids enjoying one of the books the kids got for Christmas. The genuine Shitland weather closed in and ensured literary adventures for all. Fortunately, my employers close for the Christmas period so I was able to fully enjoy the opportunities offered.

Archery Club Christmas Party...


christmas_04_party
Originally uploaded by 60N.
The second Christmas party of the season - and we went into this one hoping it was going to be better than the first! And it was. By a long, long way!

Great food, good company and since we ate early (to increase drinking time later) we spotted a number of young families eating in the Great Wall restaurant. This spurred us on to take the whole family out there when the grandparents descended after Christmas.

Our past life in Kent

Kent is special to us. It is were we settled into our first jobs, set up home and had our children 'Cesca & Tim.
We learnt to garden -which was easy in a medium estate sized garden in Kent - essentially plant it and it will grow.... When not producing our own fruit we could nip over to organic farm shops for superb produce really cheaply.
We learnt lot about why the Southern poeple aren't necessarily softies and that London impolitness is a necessary thick skin people there grow to cope with the multitide of idiots in the way of them gettting on with their lives (eg: rucksacked students from Edinburgh clogging up their space on the 8:00 from Orpington to Charing).
In Ashford we particularly liked our link to Paris and the continent. This we miss alot. The trains (Eurostar) are beautiful, comfortable and fast - so nothing like other UK trains. This makes them special. Well worth a trip. Even if just for lunch in a real french cafe!
To see our family photos from this time please follow the link:
www.mishantdesign.co.uk/familyalbum

The History

Well, here we are. 1 1/2 years into our life on Shetland. 2 adults, 2 kids, 3 cats, 1 dog (sledging, for the use of) and our au pair, Lubica.

Our route to Shetland was somewhat convoluted. It started in North Yorkshire, moved to Edinburgh for University, down to Kent for first jobs, meandered around Kent (and the Kent edge of Greater London) for a few years and then lept to the other end of the UK.

Life in Shetland, so far, is sweet. We love the sea views we get every day - and the sunrise in the photo is not uncommon! We get the Northern Lights from time to time - and if I can find a photo of the last display I'll post it . We get near-24 hour daylight during the summer and definitely 24-hour midges. Little bitey buggers. Still, they add protein to a barbecue if you can stand to be out long enough!

Shopping up here is eccentric. But that's what the Internet is for, surely? Eating out, on the other hand, is a delight. Fish and chips to die for - freshest of fresh fish and lots of it!

Things we miss about the mainland: Pizza Hut (how sad are we?!!?), 24-7 opening supermarkets which deliver. Kebabs - which also used to deliver down in Kent. The way relatives could visit without needing an overdraft or a calm sea.

Things we don't miss about the mainland: Traffic. Motorways. Commuting (our commutes amount to about 10 minutes total). Worrying about schools. Poor fish and chips. The need for private health care. Overcrowding.

Things we've done since we've got here: New jobs, new hobbies, new cat. New toys...

Got to go - the kids are about to unplug th

Jo ,John & Tim


JO,John & TIM
Originally uploaded by 60N.
John and Tim at the launch site. I push they hold on and hope they stop befor the sea!
Then the one dog open sleigh transports small child to the top with parents puffing behind.

Really, really great fun and justifies the dog if nothing else does.

One dog open sleigh - 2


One dog open sleigh - 2
Originally uploaded by 60N.
The kong for the dog is seen here, this was the incentive we used to get the dog to haul the kids up the hill we all had great fun sledging down.

You se me wearing trousers that i got from Dad. They are double layered and extremely good in this kind of weather. Only one draw back -it has a double ended fly. This seemed to let in snow as I hurtled down hill with great efficiency! Wonder how dad used to cope with that little suprise??

One dog open sleigh - 1


One dog open sleigh - 1
Originally uploaded by 60N.
Boxing day and the snow that had looked so pretty for Christmas and not been played with was just begging for fun.
So all of us got dressed warm and the kids caught a lift in their sledge while Artemis did the work. You see me directing the dog - making sure the kids don't suddenly run after cats etc!!!

sunrise


sunrise
Originally uploaded by 60N.
First, best sunrise of the new year. Taken in November 04.

New to 2005!!

In an effort to turn over a new leaf and actually make all those digital pictures usable I have come up with a blogg. Not origonal, as I have filched the idea off my sister who has a travel blogg of her own. But in order to spread my opinion of her blogg, and those who know me will be aware of how much i love my own opinion...., I had to create a blog of my own. So here I start.

A great rambling spreading plain of a start...