Ben & Liz

Liz and her friend from work, in the yet-to-be-upgraded kitchen

How busy they are, transforming their home from tired-terrace to suburban chic. Doing up their house has become less of a d-i-y job and more of a project.  So far the lounge has been reinvented as a cosy snug for relaxing evenings in front of the TV and the garden has been liberated from an overwhelming array of pots and tottering fences to become a mini-haven from urban living and home for Luigi and Mario, the pet rabbits.  Now they have moved on to renovate the master bedroom.  Liz is writing her own blog to keep us up to date with progress - check it out!

 http://benlizhouse.wordpress.com/  



Ben with his high tech Bar-B-Q

Not content with a full time job and a major work-in-progress at home, Liz has found time to create the most impressive vegetable garden.  Delicious corn-on-the-cob this week, thanks Liz.
Earlier this summer friends and family were invited to their house warming party. The weather was a bit iffy, but this is England and we know how to party in the rain.  This summer Ben passed his Stage 1 accountancy exams and will be continuing his studies in the autumn. He has just secured a new job, moving up from Junior to Management Accountant.  He starts on Monday and I wish him all the luck in the world. 


I am the proud mother and I love them both very much.

Travel Writing Competition

I love travelling and soon this blog will be dedicated to my trip to China for a couple of weeks.  I also love reading and writing, which leads to Travel Writing!

I have entered a competition that is being run by the Telegraph.  My piece is about my trip to the Maasia Mara and if you click on the link below you can read it and, if you like it, you can Vote For me!  (Voting closes on 15th Aug).

http://sagaawaywithwords.co.uk/entry/maasai-mara-national-reserve-narok-kenya/

Thanks xx

Baby Smith on the move

With 2 months to go, Shelley is into the third trimester and life gets to be a little more problematic.  There are endless appointments, she is anaemic, has low blood pressure, plus she can't reach her toenails to paint them!  Shelley has given us a little insight into how it feels to have Baby Smith on board with this 20 second video clip.

It was Richard's birthday yesterday and we celebrated with Shelley and Brad.  We tried out a new restaurant in Keston village and it was excellent.  Here they are looking very pleased with life:

    

The only het in the village

I went to Brighton for the day, to meet up with my book club ladies, expecting a pleasant, cultured and sedate high tea and what happened?  Gay Pride, that's what happened.  When the gay community say they are loud and proud, they're not kidding.  Sharing litre bottles of vodka on the 10:35am from East Croydon, I ask you?  I was shocked and horrified. 

My plan for the day started with a visit to Mad Hatters, to find something suitable for Jill's 60th-come-retirement do at Ascot in September.  I think I found exactly the right thing in the bargain bucket: not in the least understated or tasteful.  Jill likes things (including her friends) to be full on.  Richard hated my £120 hat, but experienced a miraculous change of heart when I told him that I picked it up for a tenner.  Fickle.

Then I watched Gay Pride. It's very weird to feel like the only het in the village, and that's exactly the point, so job done.

 

Next up - the Royal Pavilion. I've been to Brighton umpteen times in my life, but never visited the Pavilion.  It is stunning, and I learnt that George III's home was the original pleasure palace that led to Brighton's reputation as the place to party.   

 

We had vegetarian afternoon tea, delish and quite original, a discussion on the books we had read, and then off to catch the train home.  Oh, but Belinda and I hadn't quite finished, so we dropped in on a wine tasting bar on the way.  Probably assumed we were lesbians, so that was ok.   

 

Retired but still alive.