finally some half decent weather so as i had promised Issy and Jacob if they did a good job cleaning out the guini pigs and rabbits i would get the tractor out and let them drive around the garden, so first Jacob scraped out the cages with a little shovel and Issy sprayed the cages with a cleaning solution i then turned the hose on the cages before Issy and Jacob filled them with fresh bedding and fresh water and food when we finished i walked over to the tractor Issy and Jacob waited out side for me to drive it out then they both ran over excited wanting to get on, if you could have seen there faces when i said climb on then, they got on and we drove all around the garden round the trees, round the stables, back up to the house they were calling nanny and Sarah to come look at them, they were saying go faster and laughing its so great to see them having so much fun, after we played football and pickle and Jacob took turns swinging in the hammock, there was a familiar smell coming from the house it was a roast dinner being prepared nanny and Sarah had been making it while we played, hmmm i love roast dinner, after we all ate we headed into town and to the sandpit park it looked like a lot of people had the same idea there were so many kids already in the park Issy and Jacob pulled there shoes off and jumped in the sand while nanny and Sarah qued up for ice cream i had wanted to show nanny and Sarah around the castle ruins and the town square but looking at pickle and Jacob playing with the kids in the park i wasn't sure we would get the chance but after about an hour they agreed to come to the ruins as we walked towards them we realised there was fair going on in the grounds with music and traditional crafts and a falconry exhibition the birds where amazing eagles, hawks falcons even an owl, then we walked to the old square with its cobbled streets and allys its so picturesque we stopped at a coffee shop for a bit, when we got home we did the rounds feeding the animals before settling Issy and Jacob ready for bed.

hmmm i thought that pickle and Jacob might sleep late today as they were on the go all day yesterday, but Jacob had other ideas, he was up at 6am and thought it only fair that every one else should also get up starting with Issy then nanny then me, so i made nanny and myself a nice strong coffee then mad breakfast for every one, after Issy and Jacob got dressed we went to feed the animals, Sophie and Ellie seemed to have settled into there new home well, next to fizz and pepper, after feeding we played games in the garden most of the morning like hide and seek, tag, even football, its been a long time since i kicked a ball round, i fixed the hammock, so Issy and Jacob could use it, then i went to pick up auntie Sarah, when i got back Issy and Jacob took her on a guided tour they even collected 4 eggs from the chickens, then we put a saddle on Angie and all had a turn ridding her even nanny, it was so funny getting nanny on and off the horse but it was great to see her have a go, after we all got ready to go out for a meal, by the time we got back Issy and Jacob both said they were tired and ready for bed, Issy asked me to get into her bed as she usually does, she fell asleep in my arms and i watched her sleep for a while just thinking how lucky i am to have such an amazing daughter, :)

Well the sun didn't come out, but we had a great day anyway, when i woke up Issy and Jacob where already up watching a dvd nanny was having a coffee, Issy and Jacob wanted me to hurry up and take them out to see the animals a bit of rain wasn't going to put them off, first we went to the chickens and collected 4 fresh eggs Issy and Jacob laugh every time the cockerel calls out they where both shouting cocka doodle doo back at it, then we fed fizz and pepper, then dolly billy and gruff, then they said good morning to Angie the horse, after we had done the rounds we all had breakfast, nanny, Jacob and i all had the eggs we collected, so much better than the ones u buy from a super market, Issy and Jacob wanted to go to the sand pit park but it was still raining so i said we could go and get the rabbits from the pet shop, Issy and Jacob where in the car before i could get my shoes on, when we got to the shop i let Issy pick two rabbits she chose a white one she called Ellie and a grey one she called Sophie, after we got back to the house and put the rabbits in there new house, we all played in the garden making bubbles.

its been a long day, picked pickle up from nursery at 1pm then went to meadow hall to wait for nanny and Jacob to arrive on the mega bus at 5pm so we had 4 hours to keep ourselves amused we had some dinner then went to the play area pickle love playing on the climbing frame and she always makes new friends and i love watching pickle have fun, after we walked around the shops and had an ice cream then Issy wanted to have a sleep so we went back to the car and she went to sleep when pickle woke it was time to go get nanny and Jacob her face was a picture when she saw them she was so excited and all the way home she was telling them about the new house and the animals Jacob asked pickle if she could show him around when we got there, as we arrived pickle said to nanny and Jacob look at the magic gate she pressed her remote and the gates at the end of the drive opened Issy laughed as Jacob asked how they opened on their own, after Issy showed them around and introduced them to the animals i cooked them dinner Jacob and Issy watched dumbo before going to bed, i cant wait for tomorrow just hope its sunny :)

Had a terrific weekend with pickle at the new house she has been helping clean and feed the animals, Issy loves all of them Angie the horse, Dolly the sheep, Billy & Gruff the goats, Fizz & Pepper the Guinea pigs, the 8 crazy chickens and Morris the Yorkshire terrier she has a real soft spot for him,so pickle was upset when i told her Morris had run in the road and been hit by a car the day before and was at the vets he was very lucky to survive and needed an emergency operation and would not be allowed home until Saturday, Issy kept asking if we could visit him and she said she would look after him until he was better, when we got home pickle asked if the tractor had arrived, that's her name for the lawn mower, i said it had and she asked if she could go on it so we rode it round and round the garden pickle steered while i did the throttle she said it was like a ride at the fair. when it was time for bed pickle asked if she could watch Disney's aristocrats so i said OK for 20 minutes as we where going on an adventure in the morning to check out the town, after 10 minutes we both fell asleep. Pickle woke bright and early the next morning rearing to go i tried to persuade her to let me sleep a bit longer but she insisted daddy gets up so we had breakfast fed the animals then headed into Newark we parked near to the old ruins of a castle and pickle spotted a play ground full of kids so you guessed it that's where we headed first. it was great there were sand pits and climbing frames swings and slides she quickly made friends so i sat on the grass and watched her play, after an hour and a half and some bribery pickle came to explore the town we walked round the ruins then down a cobbled street witch opened up into a beautiful square there was a town hall with huge colloms on one side and a church with a steeple on the other and about 50 market stalls in the middle it felt so relaxed almost like a holiday resort, i had promised pickle some clothes so we went into monsoon they have such lovely clothes for kids pickle had loads of fun trying stuff on i bought her a summer dress a hat and some great welly boots with fairy's on them we walked around a bit more looking in a few shops had ice creams then headed home Morris was back from the vets he has a big scare and is lucky to be alive Issy sat with him telling him she would make him better, we had a bath then pickle put on her new clothes before we went out to eat, pickle slept well, witch was a relief as the hot weather and our day out was tiring, after breakfast we cleaned out fizz and peppers cage pepper got loose and pickle thought it was funny watching daddy run around after him before we knew it, it was time to go so we headed of to Sheffield to meet mummy, always the hardest part of my week and it never gets any easier

pickle has been playing with her friends, Maya, Isla, Grace and Annabelle to day while daddy packs and prepares for the journey back to the new house Issy wants to see the animals again and sleep in her new bedroom before going back to mummy's on Sunday, i cant believe how quickly the week has passed and i hope the weeks we are apart pass as quickly, i had one of my favourite pictures of Issy put on to a canvas, and it arrived today looking amazing its to go on the wall at home, its almost bed time for pickle so ill be reading her a story, i wonder what story she will choose? i think it will be Issy & Brookie meet scooby doo in the park, pickle really likes that one.

Pickle love swimming, so i took her to the guildford spectrum its a great pool with slides, water falls, a wave machine and a pirate ship, Annabelle and auntie Karen came to pickle and belle love the big slide they are to small to go on it alone so pickle sits on my lap we lay down once we get going so we go faster pickle always makes me sit up before we reach the bottom so the slash is less she doesn't like getting a face full of water Belle is a 18 months younger than Issy but she is fearless, i think the girls made me & karen go down it with them more than ten times each, not complaining though i love it to and the stairs are good exercise, we had a great time even if we were all worn out by the time we left, Belle and Issy both fell asleep in the car on the way home, We dropped Annabelle and Karen of home then i took pickle back to Nanny's after her nap she put on some new clothes i had bought the day before, Issy loved the new clothes and looked terrific in them, then we all went to pizza express where we were met by Auntie Sarah , Jacob and Joe, Issy for some reason wanted to swap places with me at least 3 times during the meal and surprisingly Jacob was behaving well, they both ate well witch is always nice to see then played with 2 balloons the staff brought over while we waited for the bill, when we got back to Nanny's Issy was tired but trying to fight it saying" I'm not tired" and i don't want to go bed" it wasn't long before she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer so i carried her to bed she was fast asleep before i could read her a story, it was a nice surprise to get a lay in as pickle didn't wake till 9:30 this morning she has been helping nanny round the house then she went to meet to new friends to play I'm waiting for her to get back so i can hear all about her new friends.

Day at the zoo

Today Issy and i went to pick up Annabelle and auntie Karen to go to chessington world of adventures, Issy woke at 6:30 excited about going to chessington every 5 minutes she would say can we go yet, i had a real job keeping her amused until it was time to go, the look on pickles face when i said yes its time to go was priceless she jumped up and down squealing with excitement, we picked Annabelle and auntie Karen up and drove to chessington, what a difference going on a week day makes there were no queues to get in and inside it felt like we had the park to ourselves we went in to the aquarium first Issy and belle got to put there hands in a tank and some little shrimps cam up and tickled there fingers Issy wanted to go straight to the tunnel under the water where the the sharks swim, then we went on all Issy's favourite rides, the flying elephants the bouncing berry's the bubble works and a few more then we had lunch after that i won the girls a cuddly toy each throwing balls at a target then we went to see the animals in the petting zoo Issy loves being around animals she was stroking the Pygmy goats asking if she could have one.

carried on from previouse post....

Pickle loves spending time at Nanny's, she gets to play with Jacob and Annabelle her cousins plus the attention from aunts uncles and especially nanny, when we arrived nanny made pickle something to eat then told her that Jacob was on his way round for a sleep over Issy just loved that, Jacob is a mini tornado he is constantly at full speed with no off switch so Issy knows when Jacob is round to play its always fun, it wasn't long till he arrived and the madness began, running round the house jumping on the furniture and so on, nanny told me to get a couple of hours sleep while she looked after them so i gave pickle a kiss and went upstairs to rest when i came back down Issy and Jacob were just getting there pjs on as it was nearly time for bed Issy said she wanted nanny to put her to bed so we said good night and she went up stairs 5 minutes later i was called up, pickle wanted me to read her a story, i was sorta hoping she would so i got back into bed and read her a story one that i made up called Issy and Brookie meet scooby doo in the park, after 15 minutes she was sound asleep i was still tired so just went to sleep to, Luckily Issy and Jacob slept through till about 9am Sunday after breakfast they both did drawing and colouring and watched TV i woke up to the great aroma of a roast dinner being prepared, this is how i remember Sundays being, chilled, there were 11 of us family and friends that enjoyed Nanny's dinner then Issy and Jacob played in the garden .

Soooo much to tell.....

OMG its been a busy few days, hope i can remember all that happened. set off for Nottingham early Friday morning, but as usual the M25 got real busy not that the truck would do more than 50mph any way so it was a slow trundle up the motor way, still managed to arrive 40 minutes early as i had allowed plenty of time, was such a great feeling as the electric gates opened and we drove up the drive to the house, getting out of the truck smelling the fresh country air and taking in the views across the country side felt so good, before even going into the house i walked around the huge garden, the sheep and the goats came running up to me guess they thought food was there, i walked over to the stables they had been cleaned out ready for the horse and Issy's new pony, i could imagine them there looking over the gates waiting to be taken for a run in the paddock by Issy and me, then i heard the rooster call out so went to take a look there were more chickens than i remember 8 plus 1 noisy cockerel there where 5 fresh eggs waiting for us, witch was cool, then got down to the business of unpacking the van and putting everything in its place there is a great feeling in the house very homely, i headed back south in the truck pretty tired but had to get the truck back arrived in Sutton about midnight dropped it of had something to eat and a cup of tea then headed back to Nottingham wow that's a lot of driving in one day got back to the house at 4am slept till 10am refreshed and excited about picking Issy up from her nursery for the first time, i under estimated the time it takes to get to Sheffield and arrived 15 minutes late but luckily i was able to still go in and meet one of the teachers it looked like a nice place and I'm looking forward to going there again, pickle was upset and didn't want to come with me, witch upset me as she hasn't been like that before, i tried not to show it and we all went to mcDs after a bit she was fine and talking about going to meet the animals we did some shopping then went to the car, with in ten minutes of the drive back pickle was asleep, guess that explains the tears 30 Min's earlier, Issy woke up just as we arrived the first thing she wanted to do was meet the animals but i told her we needed to take care of fizz and pepper her Guinipigs that i had picked up also so she helped me move them into the house give them fresh bedding water and food i said i would put them in the spare bedroom but she said she wanted them in her bedroom so that's where they are, Issy loved her new room even though its not finished yet she said her new bed was very comfy and because it had a pull out bed underneath that's where Annabelle and Jacob could sleep, we then went out to the garden and i gave her a surprise her on summer house to play in she got very excited and asked if her cousins could play in it to, then we went to see the chickens pickle loves animals and laughed wen the cockerel mad a noise she started to copy it saying cocka doo dal doo it mad me laugh to it felt so good to see how happy pickle was, then we went to see the goats and the sheep they came running up to her and she said can i stroke them when i said yes Issy squealed with excitement then stroked them, we played in the garden for a bit then went inside for tea before having a bath the laying on the sofa watching penguins of Madagascar for the tenth time, when it was time for bed i went to put pickle in my bed as it was her first time there but she insisted on sleeping in her own room so we went to her room i lay on the bed with her and read a story till she went to sleep i pulled out the spare bed got my duvet and slept in there to when i got up to feed and water the animals she was still asleep, slept from 8:30pm to 9:30am she must be comfortable there witch is great, after breakfast we headed down to Nanny's,

Lorry loaded, moving in the morning...

Very busy day, had to pick up the truck, finish the packing and load it ready for the drive to Nottingham, all went well during the morning while surrounded by boxes i got a call from pickle its amazing how hearing her voice lifts my spirit, she was in a jolly mood and sang me her favorite song "oopsy daisy" i love to here her sing,she is looking forward to seeing the new house, her bedroom and the animals, we will only spend the night there as there is not enough time to get it all organised, so Saturday we will head down to Nanny's also the horse doesn't arrive until next week witch is a bit disappointing but hey next weekend will be great, time to get some sleep will be on the road by 6am. I'm excited yay..

Its been a busy day packing up the house getting ready to move to Nottingham made good progress though and will pick up the truck in the morning load it up through the day then leave early Thursday for the new house I'm looking forward to my new life up north especially being nearer to pickle, i was unable to speak to Issy today but will hopefully get a chance tomorrow. There is lots of exciting things to look forward to this week apart from the new house, the animals, Issy coming to see her new bedroom and meet all the animals, fizz and pepper coming to live with me, i am really excited about picking Issy up from nursery for the first time, seeing the school meeting her teachers finding out how pickle has been getting on, i cant wait :)

Its bank holiday Monday and I'm surrounded by boxes getting ready for the move to Nottingham, yesterday was a bitter sweet day every second i get to spend with pickle is sweet but taking her back to Sheffield is difficult saying bye bye is always emotional and getting more so as pickle gets older she is more able to express how she feels and said she wants me to live with her and mummy and Brookie ! we spent the morning at Nanny's Issy wanted to play in the garden but it was raining so she helped nanny prepare the roast dinner then i gave Issy the presents i had bought back from LA for her and Brookie, she put on the pink baseball cap and said she would share the chocolates with Brookie. it was so nice to sit for dinner with my family and pickle there Issy loves Yorkshire puddings, it was soon time for the drive to Sheffield i put the film penguins of Madagascar on for her but she was asleep within 20 Min's and slept for most of the journey witch was good as it breaks the journey for her when we arrived she was excited to give Brookie her presents, Issy gave brook her present and she looked and smiled and told me she liked it and thanked me, Brooke is a great kid and i miss her, Issy and i had a big cuddle and i did not want to let go, pickle kissed me and we said bye bye, i mad it back from Sheffield in record time 2:40 so yay who knows if the road works are ever removed it could be done in 2:10 hmmm struggled to sleep last night its always difficult the first night we part so it was great to receive pictures this morning from Claire of Issy in her ballet clothes ready for her exam it put a huge smile on my face that has helped me through the day, only 3 days to go until the move !!

Great day with pickle

its been great spending the day with Issy watching her laugh and play with her cousin and friends Jacob, Poppy, Lisa-Marie they terrorised Nanny's cats and played lawn croquet until Floyd the dog grabbed the ball and ran off then Issy wanted to help nanny with the shopping, through out the day pickle has been so affectionate, giving me hugs and kisses and saying "i love you million pound" that's a lot, it feels so good to know our bond is as strong as ever, she is asleep now in Nanny's big bed, i read her a scooby doo story but she was asleep in minutes so i lay with her watching her sleep, filled with love and pride and knowing how blessed i am to have pickle in my life...