Listography: Simple Pleasures

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This is a simple Listography this week, Kate wants us to talk about our Simple Pleasures. It's a topic that's close to my heart, enjoying the little things that make the day tick by in an enjoyable manner.

  1. Watching The Boy sleep: I chose this one for The Gallery a while back, and it still is right up in my top five. I described it at the time as "Having a cwtch with my son and staring at his beautiful baby face."
  2. Chocolate: You know that urge don't you? I feel fraught and I need a bar of Dairy Milk now. The first chunk slowly melting on your tongue… bliss!
  3. Sitting in the garden: and feeling the grass between my toes, hearing the birds in the trees, children squealing with delight and the washing flapping on the line.
  4. A freshly made bed: specifically with line-dried sheets that smell of the outdoors. Slipping in between those sheets and feeling the cool side of the pillow.
  5. Sunshine: Not excessive heat to go with it because I don't do hot, but the gentle caress of the sun's rays on your skin and that glowing feeling.

Short and sweet. After all "Simple things for simple minds while greater fools look on".

May Day

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Swimming yesterday seems to have completely wiped us out and today was a little of a non-starter.

We did however decided to 'pop' down to Margam Park to see what they had to offer for a family day out (even though it was only an hour or so). It was a pleasant walk around the grounds and we checked out the Fairytale Land area that they have, but it was a little lacking in entertainment for a toddler and probably somewhere that we won't be going to regularly. However, I did take some nice photos which I thought I'd share.

Waterbaby?

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I love this time of year; it's the start of the Bank Holidays and this year in particular we've been spoilt with two four-day weekends in a row. The weather has been particularly amazing for April (which is why it's grey and overcast now on the first day of May) and we've been able to take advantage of the great outdoors at almost any opportunity.

Today, however was a tad grey and overcast so we decided for an indoor activity. Having recently been sent a Happy Nappy to review (more about that in another post) we decided to take The Boy swimming. I am ashamed to admit that he has only been once in his little lifetime due to various neurosis of mine, ranging from 'I need him to have had his main jabs before I take him into germ-infested water', to 'it's Winter and I don't want him to catch a cold' and eventually 'I don't want to go when children from school might be there and see me in my swimming costume'. Pathetic isn't it?

As it so happens, I think I may have created a little rod for my own back here (which is good because it's knackered since having had The Boy and could use a little support!).

We took The Boy along to the pool fairly confident; he loved it last time and he loves the bath. He seemed a little unsure when we toddled into the shallow end (and I mean shallow, it's a long slope which starts at the edge of the pool and after about 30-40 feet is only 2 foot deep) but generally quite happy. We went a little deeper so that the water was up to his ribs and he was still fairly happy. After a good splash and kick around, we took him a bit deeper. He clung to me so tightly it was like someone was trying to rip him from us.

Uh-oh!

You see, I lack confidence in the water even though I love it. I can't stand putting my face under the water, I don't like going out of my depth without being about two arms length from the edge and if someone splashes me then the irrational fear creeps in and I panic. My mother is petrified of the water and was determined that all four of us would not be. My father adores the water and used to go scuba-diving regularly when I was a nipper. So you think I'd follow him? Only I don't. And it stems from going swimming with him to Swansea swimming pool when I was about 9 years old. He left me in the shallow end while he went and had a quick go in the plunge pool under the diving board, and they turned the wave machine on. I got swept under and had difficulty regaining my footing. Ever since then I've freaked out.

I have always wanted The Boy to be confident in the water, hubby loves it and adores swimming under the water; testing himself if he can get from one end of the pool to the other in one breath (he can't quite). I want The Boy to love the water like that. Don't get me wrong, he did enjoy himself; he splashed and kicked, giggled and squealed with pleasure, but I just expected him to be fearless like he was last time. Maybe I pushed him too far today? All I know is that next time, we'll take it slowly and stay in the very shallow end for longer.

Oh and next time will be a lot sooner, we've decided to take him a couple of times a month from now on.

He was so tired, he fell asleep eating his lunch with a mouthful half eaten!

A Right Royal Knees Up

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I have managed to avoid everything to do with the Royal Wedding. I mean everything. No news, magazines, newspapers, television programmes. I'm not entirely sure if this is something to be proud of, or if it highlight the fact that I am out of touch with up-to-date general news?

Nonetheless, I decided that we would be acknowledging the union of William and Kate (if she's a Catherine, why is her shortened name spelt with a 'K' and not a 'C'?) by inviting over my parents to watch the ceremony and have a party lunch. Well ok, dad and hubby were going to be busy in the garden, but mum, The Boy and I would be watching the ceremony. And we'd have a very 1950s style party lunch.

So this morning, I stuck up the single strange of bunting that I'd bought, fished out the napkins and made a crown with The Boy. My mum turned up with a whole load of food on top of what I'd bought. I had a minor sulk that my plans were hijacked but as it so happens, this was a good thing because the lunch would have been a little too sweet otherwise! Somehow for two blokes who didn't want to sit and watch the ceremony, dad and hubby certainly managed to admire the convoy or guests going in, the arrival of Kate and most of the actual vows. Hmm…

After we'd watched the ceremony in dribs and drabs (thank God for Sky+), and The Boy had woken from his nap, we scoffed our way through lunch; both the proper food and my party offerings. Dragging ourselves back into the living room, we all ooh-ed and aah-ed (aside from The Boy who wondered what we were going on about) over their balcony kiss, followed by grandad educating the apple of his eye on the types of planes in the fly-by.

A good day, a beautiful ceremony and some scrummy food!

I'd like to take credit for the ice-cream cone/cupcake idea that you see above, but it is brainchild of Helen at The Crazy Kitchen.

Messy Play

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I've never been to Messy Play before and I must confess that I did actually wonder exactly what it was.

Fun! That's what!

If you've never taken your little one to Messy Play before, then I highly recommed you get yourself along there. They will have the opportunity to do things that you may shy away from doing; free painting, sticking, colouring (with felts! Eeek!), playing with jelly and custard (which actually The Boy didn't like that much because he doesn't like getting food everywhere) and generally having a whale of a time getting mucky.

As you can see:

The Boy thoroughly enjoyed himself and we'll definitely be going again. For him the best play activity was this one though.