Our Perfect Christmas Day

For me Christmas has always been a special time of the year but until the birth of my son It had lost some of the magic of when I was a child. Seeing the joy in my sons eyes has rekindled my enjoyment and has given me and my wife a reason to celebrate it with more gusto. Our son enjoys trains at the moment so trains are incorporated into my ideal Christmas. We would take him for a day to Devon Railway centre where he can ride on a wide gauge steam train and see Santa in his magic Grotto. With access to unlimited train rides and an indoor and outdoor play area it will give him plenty to do with his day and the cost wouldn't be that expensive at just £20. We have set up a small Christmas tree which we have covered in Christmas lights and tinsel. This weekend coming I am going to make paper decorations with our son and deck out the rest of the house. We have already brought his main gift a Chuggington box set which he will find under the tree on Christmas morning. For our Christmas meal as we don't have a very big oven I am going to boil a gammon joint in coke for two hours until it is falling off the bone and the plan is that we will eat this all through the Christmas holiday and hopefully it will stretch into the new year. For the veg I will roast potatoes in goose fat along with honey glazed parsnips and set these along side a nice selection of fruit and nuts to graze on. The thing that completes Christmas for me more then anything else is that I get to spend quality together with my family. I can't wait to see our son playing with his new gifts on Christmas day and as we are all film lovers I am looking forward to us all having cosy nights in all sat together on the couch watching movies with a bowl of home made popcorn. This for me comprises of a perfect christmas.

”Merry Christmas! This post is my entry into the Tots100/Argos 12 Days of Christmas competition.“

Silent Sunday

My childhood toys

When I was growing up I had several toys but the most loved of toys I had were a squirrel called Rusty and a monkey named George both survived my childhood and are in my mothers attic. I remember finding them while visiting one day and the nostalgic memories flooded back. Those toys both got a lot of loving when I was a young boy, mostly they were used as comforters and as I grew older I moved on to matchbox cars and transformers. Now they are sat in storage a bit like Toy Story 3. Can you imagine the stories these toys could tell you if they could really come alive. If they do have their own kind of soul I hope they know that they were and are still greatly loved.

I don't have any photos of these toys so here are photos of toys that has a likeness to them If you had a toy line up this pair could be pulled out by accident instead of George and Rusty :p

Other then childhood toys this little bunny Bun Bun is special to me because I brought it for my wife and when we first met and he now goes with her everywhere on her bag.

I took these photos years ago to amuse my wife I have posted them here so you can share in the cuteness that is Bun Bun.

Bun Bun explored the garden far and wide, with his handy climbing gear (to you and me the hoop coming out of his head) :P he travelled all over the garden searching every nook and cranny!

This blog entry is in response to a contest ran by tattooed mummy thank you for running a contest that made me think of my childhood :) if you are looking for children toys then look no further than the one stop bug shop

http://tattooedmummy.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/a-special-toy-blog-competition.html

http://www.onestopbugshop.co.uk

My Alli mishap, be warned!

Hello this blog entry is a little embarrassing as it is all about my mishap when using the diet tablet Alli. Let me first say that this tablet really works and it definitely helped me to lose weight while I was using it.The only downside to this product is that it is very very expensive. That and when you are not used to the effect that it has on your body which you won't be In the early days of taking this tablet there is a real and present danger that it can cause you to inadvertently loose control of your bowels. When you go to the toilet there is this oily film that sits on the surface of the water that the instructions in the Alli box says is the fat that the tablets block from entering your system. The reason I got caught out and had a mishap is that while I was at work I was sat at my desk working normally when I felt some air working it's way through my stomach which I gently and quietly expelled after all I told myself whats the harm it's only an inocent little bit of wind. There was this weird smell like oil and after a while when it didn't dissipate I stood up confused and looked down on my chair feeling even more confusion when I gazed apon this strange oil stain. I still hadn't realised at this point what it was and leaning closer to the stain to investigate further I noticed that it gave off a smell like hyraulic oil so I thought maybe it had leaked somewhere from the chair. I wheeled my chair across the office passed all my work colleagues and out to the communal kitchen area where the MD of my company was making a drink and he jokingly asked me if I had had a little accident I just replied in a mildly embarrassed tone that I didn't know what it was. I quickly sprayed it with a pungent kitchen cleaner and covered it with a cloth to soak it up when I sat back down on it, it was only then that I thought to check my trousers and found that they were wet in my bottom area. The penny at this point started to drop like a lead baloon as I considered in mortified horror that maybe the wind hadn't been as inocent as I first thought. I haven't been so embarrassed in a very long time, I would say ever but I've had other embarrassing moments in the past equally as embarrassing but not I quickly stress of the same nature. This situation is right up there in the top ten most embarrassing moments in my life, yes people thats right Alli made me poo myself at work. I was going to keep this a secret but then I realised that I should try to save other people from experiencing this situation that I found myself in so if you read this and you are just starting to use Alli please heed my warning and be careful in the early days of use.

I am part of the #Blog4Sanitation movement setup by Splashdirect to raise awareness of the importance of global sanitation. Learn more about World Toilet Day.

Silent Sunday - 10 November 2013

Fireworks Display by the Seafront

We went to a fireworks display in the beach in our area.  Some of the pictures turn out well even if we are only using our ipad.

This is me and my son

It was a fun night for us even if there is a bit of rain.  The fireworks made the chilly night warm and fuzzy.

Debenhams contest to design a bedroom

Welcome and thank you for visiting our little corner. Today I am writing a blog entry for the Debenhams design your own bedroom contest where you need to design a bedroom from their range of products. I will list the items I would love to have in my family's bedroom and explain my thoughts behind each choice. 

Thinking on how my family would use this room I have designed it to be classical and practical. below is the list of things that I would buy using the budget given of £5000.



Chocolate 'Sophia' bed linen with a double duvet cover £44.00 + Double pillow case £22.40 combined with  an Anti allergy 13.5 tog all seasons duvet and an Anti Allergy set of pillows for £68 + £25.50 

Oatmeal 'Tennessee' fabric bed frame Item No.3210051758 Double bed £522 wth a Pocket 'Royal' luxury mattress Item No.3210041180 for £568.8. I like this bed because it has built in internal storage and it's own head board perfect for a clumsy accident prone guy like me.

Silver 'Bellevue' end of bed bench with dark feet: Item No.3210161011 £486.00. I would put this bench at the foot of our bed covered in cushions.

Children's Rocket Ceiling Light: Item No.60007_24115370 £65.80 This is my favourite item in my list because it's fun and light hearted and my three year old son will love to look up at it probably almost as much as me. 



Emily Blue Lined Pencil Pleat Curtains Item No.61845_EMIBLU £55.20 I have chosen neutral colours in the mind set that I would use soft furnishings such as cushions and personal effects to add more vibrant colours to the room.

Designer white chairs cushion Item No.3040498017 £17.60

Designer blue shaped house cushion

Item No.3040498027 £20

Purple large spotted cushion

Item No.3040638006 £7.8 

Grey felt owl cushion

Item No.3040297315 £30

Sleeping Beauty 'SB5002' electric blanket

Item No.3250200016 £60

Dark brown wooden floor lamp

Item No.3040568042 £225 I love this floor lamp because it reflects my love of photography but also my wife's love of art the legs looking like the legs of a tripod or an easel.

Walnut 'Domino' wall mirror

Item No.3210051341 £77

Cream/Stone Pippa Wallpaper

Item No.61131_19971 £16.00 x2 = £32

Grey/red block rug

Item No.3220190279 £208.00 

 

Walnut lyon seven drawer chest

Item No.3210051252 £774.00 Like Annie I have a preference to a good quality chest of drawers rather then big bulky wardrobes  which is why I have chosen two for my dream family bedroom.

Walnut lyon six drawer chest

Item No.3210051251 £666.00 

Combining my choices together I get a total spend of £3,975

I hope that anyone visiting this blog can see the thinking behind my selection and I hope that Annie comes to the conclusion that I am in with a shot when she visits my page. Thank you for reading