A Matter of Choice

Although we've been taking Leo to the beach for four summers now, this is the first year that he has let us build anything without him knocking it down before you actually get anywhere! It turns out though, that its my Dad who is the expert in sand building, whether it be castles, boats or cars.  (although from memory I believe a car is pretty similar to a boat!) Looking back through old photos, I can't imagine that I built many things all by myself.....  I do remember my Dad giving considerable assisitance - well, it was a good way to get the sun on his back! Me in 1985, in Menorca - not sure why it looks so grim! Spain - in the mid 80s But they were not nearly as impressive when I did then all by myself, even though I do seem to be quite pleased with it..... On the Isle of Wight - 1990 Linking up to Jenny's 'Flashback Friday'

It can be so hard to think of good gift ideas for birthdays, especially here in Cyprus without the variety of shops we've been used to in the UK and for someone like my Dad who doesn't really need anything as such.  So when I saw this fab idea on pinterest  I thought I'd give it a go. It's so easy to make.... obviously as homemade stuff is not generally my strong point! You need..... An empty 2 litre coke (or similar ) bottle - cut the top off so it sits flat 8 cans 12 -14 mini choc bars ribbon Tape Cake board candle Start by placing the bottle upside down on the board, and place the cans around it.  Tape them all together so they don't keep moving around. Place the chocolate bars around the top in the same way. Cover with ribbon. I used a bit of blue tack to secure my candle but you could make a hole in the top of the bottle instead. There you go, an easy yet effective gift that will always be appreciated! ...

Today is my Dad's birthday so I thought I'd flashback a few years... not many of course, to his 50th birthday. My Mum decided to arrange a surprise for him, she did it brilliantly considering how much time they spend together and he didn't suspect a thing. Dad was told that the two of them were going out for dinner at a local restaurant.  What he didn't know was they were being joined by his friends and family! It was arranged that a friend would give them a lift to the restaurant on his way out. At this point Dad thought that the friend was going to be joining them for dinner as a surprise, on the way there he asked if that was the plan but was told no, the friend was very sorry but had other plans. He didn't believe them and expected him to get out the car when they arrived but instead he dropped them off and drove away. Meanwhile I was inside the restaurant and with all the others waiting for them to arrive. As they walked in I happened to be the firs...

This weeks Flashback Friday theme, is Dad. In the last week not only has it been Father's Day but also my Dad's birthday. On his 60th birthday as part of his present I 'gave' him '60 memories' - things that particularly stuck in my head from childhood to date.   It took me quite a while to do as but it was very well received, some were a bit random but it got quite difficult towards the end!  Here are a selection of them....       Riding my bike thinking you were holding onto the back and then realising that I had done it on my own.       Teaching me how to play Chess, Backgammon, Othello and Draughts – and letting me think I was good at them!    Always trying to change channel on the TV whilst you were asleep only to have you open your eyes as I pick up the remote.      Trying (and succeeding I once I believe) to convince you we had parked the car on a different level ...

In honour of Father's Day yesterday (and the fact that I didn't actually get my lovely Dad a present)  I thought I'd have a rummage through some old photos, as you know I love my old photos and as excuses to look at them go I figured this was a very good one! As far as I can recall, I have always got on very well with my Dad even in my teenage years! I was (in my opinion anyway) a very well behaved teenager, there were not too many rules for me to follow and I was always worried about getting into to trouble with him - so worried that I never really did so I still have no idea what the punishment would have been! I never lied but I may have 'bended the truth' on occasion, at the time I was very pleased with myself for getting away with whatever it was but now I realise he never fell for it!  At 16 he picked me up at the end of an evening and asked me if I had been drinking, I said no to which he replied 'I can smell alcohol on your breath'  Af...

I loved Christmas as a child  (well I still do but the presents were better then) There was always the same pattern for Christmas, I suppose made easier by having a small family. Christmas day at home with Nana and Grandad  (Dad's ) and Boxing day at Granma and Grandad's (Mum's). Decorations would usually go up on the first Sunday of December, early but it worked well as a bribe to get me to go to 'Church parade' with the Brownies. I always helped Dad with the decorating of the tree while Mum put tinsel round the room. When I say 'helped' I put the hooks on the ornaments and passed them to Dad, I may have sometimes insisted on putting one on the tree but I'm fairly sure it would have been moved if it didn't look right - the tree was always a work of art. Me at 15, still hadn't grown out of Christmas There were important traditions to the decorating, first you needed the Christmas Carols LP and a glass of whiskey along with the suggestion...

Happy father's day Dadad! (in case you are wondering that's how Leo says it, I haven't got a typing problem!) This year is AJ's second father's day, last year Leo was only a few weeks old. My present to him was a "Daddy Cool" t-shirt and a phot keyring with this picture in it.  This year I was brave (well, I was talked into it by a friend) and let Leo loose with some paints and we created a card and a desk sign for him. It was very successful actually, no paint was eaten, and we ended up not that  covered in it, well apart from a couple of purple highlights in Leo's hair.  Here is the finished result....