More dollshouse updates....

Another dolls house update. The first two rooms I did were in the basement, and I've learned a lot since I did them, so I've made some changes. I've put a new carpet down in the study/games room, painted the ceiling (which I'd forgotten to do!), and put coving and skirting board in. Just needs some curtains and a fire now. Then I can get more furniture. I'm thinking of a snooker or pool table, and maybe a bar in the corner.

I've also done some painting in the scullery/servants area, and have started putting things in - I like the way this room is developing. The poodle was bought by Lily, our grandaughter, so it has to have pride of place!

 I've started experimenting with furniture in the living room trying different colours and styles. Think I'm going to stick with the darker wood, so the lighter wood dresser may have to go.

And I'm starting to dress the Dining Room. At the moment the table is set for afternoon tea, but there seems to be a couple of bottles of wine on the side table!

 So, the bottom half of the house is decorated:

The bathroom is done, but has no furniture yet. Just got a hall and three bedrooms to go.

Dancing in Evesham

Another weekend camping - at a Morris weekend in Evesham. The forecast was pretty bad,so we decided to go minimalist, Normally I like my mod cons when camping, but this time we decided to leave most stuff at home, and just take our small tent and a kettle! This tent goes up in about 5 mins and comes down in the same time, and we thought if it really was rainy and windy it would be easier to manage. We were camping on the Meadow in Evesham, right by the River Avon which was dangerously high when we got there having driven through torrential rain. A local helpfully told us it would it would flood the other way, first.  So, tent pitched, we managed a sit outside and a civilised g and t before setting off to a local Indian for a curry. I was tying to follow a major upgrade going on at work and needed to keep my phone charged, so managed to sneak it into a plug in the restaurant. Stuart decided to wait until we got to the pub, and in the middle of an England football game managed to unplug the projector showing the game...

Evening spent in the gazebao, and a reasonably early night. Saturday wasn't too bad when we set off on our coach tours, and we managed to get some dancing in, between the showers.

The rain did stop us dancing outside at lunchtime and we had to be inventive and do a small dance in the pub.

In the afternoon we went to The Fleece, a beautiful national Trust pub, and when we got there it was throwing it down, so we sheltered with everyone else under a very wet gazebo.

But eventually it brightened up and we got to dance. In the evening we went for a chinese meal, and then sat in the gazebo again.

Sunday morning the sun was shining, and there were plenty of rowers out.

after a full cooked breakfast in the rowing club we got the small tent down, and gathered by the bandstand for dancing and then a procession. There were some serious hats on display.

And some interesting characters

The procession went up into town, where we all danced in the  market square, and then the showers started. We managed to doge them for our first dance spot, but our last dance was by the church, and as we started, the heavens opened, and we danced in the pouring rain. Got drenched. But, we got a round of applause!
Great weekend.

Never Seconds, the blog that got shut down

It's not often I post things on both work and personal blogs, or use my christinesreallycross label on posts, but in this case I'm going to make an exception!

This April, 9 year old Martha Payne of Western Scotland started a blog about her school lunches called Never Seconds, documenting her school lunches and how bad they were. It quickly became popular and led to the dinners becoming markedly better (apparently fruit and salad "had always been available"). The blog got taken up by many people including Jamie Oliver, and started getting attention from around the world with people sending her pictures of their lunches. Eventually, she set up a donation page to raise money for dinners in Africa - she's raised over £2000. So far, so good.

Until yesterday, when the local council banned her from taking her camera into school and shut down her blog. I wonder if they thought that would be the end of it and she would quietly go away?  Well some people just don't understand social media do they? So far the story is trending on twitter, it's been on the BBC this morning on the Today programme, bloggers have taken up the story, and the @argyllandbute twitter account has been inundated with complaints.

Rory Cellan-Jones the BBC technology correspondent has written a wonderfully ironic piece about it and social media here.

How stupid have this council been, and how soon will they respond I wonder?  or will they just keep their heads down and hope it goes away?

EDIT  So, Argyle and Bute Council have finally responded and issued a press statement here. No apology, no retraction,  no "we're really sorry we got it wrong". No explanation other than they don't like criticism. So, because they don't like criticism, and they obviously don't understand or get social media, they've decided the best way forward is to shut a 9 year old girl up. Idiots!

Camping at Golden Valley

Friday. Arrived Golden Valley campsite mid afternoon. One of our favourite sites - lots to do. Put tent up and gradually rest of party arrived - 4 tents and two camper vans. Total of 17 from pensioners to a four year old.  Had a large bunch of flowers delivered just before we left so took them with me - made tent look very posh. Sent Stuart out in car to forage for food and he came back with fish and chips. Ate in gazebo, washed down with some gin, wine and beer. Some music from various instruments and we got to see Paul's jubilee socks!

Saturday. A lazy start. Big communal breakfast with everyone cooking something different. Walk along canal towpath, then round Codnor park reservoir. Saw coots, moorhens, swans, irises, bullrushes.

 Lunch in the Moulders Arms, Riddings, commonly called The Thack because of its thatched roof. Arrived late, about 1340, and were followed in by another party of 16. Its a small pub, and they were a bit put out by the numbers, but managed to feed us (but not the later party...).
Then a gentle walk back across fields, past the Midland Railway centre to the campsite.

We think we saw an orchid but we're not sure.

Then it was pimmsoclock.

Followed by a BBQ. Followed by toasted marshmallows, kids playing, and more music and drinks in the gazebo. Some played pool in the bar.

Sunday. Rain. Lots of it. Set off early to walk to Midland Railway Centre. Got there in time for coffee, and caught the steam train which had bunting in it. Sat on it for an hour, this is the view from the window as we crossed the reservoir

had a jubilee chocolate,

 then got off where we'd got on, and walked to the Butterley Park pub, about 20 minutes away. Still raining. Had lunch. Enormous deserts were purchased and demolished.

 I dried my shoes under the hand drier in the loos, they were so wet. Back out in the rain for another walk across a different field to catch the train at Butterley.

I had trench foot by then. Back on steam train.

 Still raining. Had bottle of wine on train to cheer us up.
Back to campsite, and got dry, changed. Whiskey mac to warm us up. Then a fondue evening in gazebo. Cheese fondue with bread and crudites, followed by chocolate fondue with marshmallow, grapes, strawberries and bananas. All was great till Beka broke the cheese fondue. As soon as small kids were in bed and bigger ones were playing pool again we huddled in friends camper van with heating on to warm up. Still raining.

 Monday. Sunshine. Yay! Another big communal breakfast, then some of men set off for walk. Rest of us stayed on campsite. Kids played on playground, and bouncy castle,

 and Alice and Maya had a go on giant plastic balls on the pool.

Pint in site cafe. Some had a ride on the train that goes round the site.
Some of girls decided to walk to Dolls House shop (I wanted to go and persuaded them to come with me). Across a field. With mud, cows, calves and a very frisky bull! Lots of mud. 5 year old Maya put her foot (which only had crocs on) in a giant, oozing cowpat. Then fell over and put her hands in it. Then got it on her hair. Cow poo everywhere, and no wet wipes, tissues etc. Stoically she carried on to the shop, where she was stood in a sink and washed. I had to wash other little one 4 year old Lily, who also had mud, but luckily no poo, everywhere.
Then a walk to Butterley Park again for a very civilised girls late lunch, complete with sharing platters and wine.
Back to campsite for hedgerow cocktails. Elderflower cordial, prosecco and sloe gin. Gorgeous.


Another BBQ.

 Sat outside then with drinks, and got told off at 0130 for making too much noise. Oops. I blame Dylan's purple joke.

Tuesday. Up earlyish. Slow pack up. Discovered pool of water between our footprint and tent groundsheet. Debated how we were going to get everything back in car.  finally everyone off about 12 for traditional trip to Denby Visitor Centre for coffee, lunch and retail therapy.

A great weekend, despite the rain and mud. Great company, and a great site. We'll be back again next year.

Hallways and staircases

Bit of a Dolls house update. I posted last time that I was worried about finishing it and starting again. Well, I've already started altering two rooms, but they were the first I'd done so I think I'm allowed some changes of mind!

Also done some work on the halls. There's 3 of them in the house, and quite fiddly. There's no decoration at all when you put the house together, just plywood and MDF - here's a couple of the rooms (ground floor hall and kitchen)

So, everything has to be done from scratch and one of the biggest mistakes I made was putting the whole house together and securing it with big screws and glue, without thinking of how easy it was going to be to decorate. I'd even fastened the stairs to the wall. So, when attempting this first hallway I decided to wallpaper very carefully and trim it round each step. Not easy. I also decided to put some wood paneling in, which I've cut to shape and varnished. Finished off with some coving, a nice light and some wide stair-carpet to hide the odd ragged paper edge. Not bad is it? I even paneled under the stairs.

However, trimming the wallpaper had scarred me for life, so when doing the second one, I managed to prise the staircase off the wall with a knife, without it coming to pieces. That meant I could paper the wall, and then stick the staircase back on. So much easier! No paneling in this one, different wallpaper and a skirting board, but same stair-carpet and flooring.

I think they look quite good together. You can see them better in this picture, and also how the other rooms are coming along. The music room now has a piano and a harp, and the living room is starting to acquire furniture. Still experimenting with colours, woods and layouts in that one.