Wednesday 12 August 2009

'Tempus Fugit' & All that....

Well - talk about 'Time Flies'!!! It seems I've only just turned around & we've been & come back & celebrated two birthdays & a wedding to boot!!

Since I last posted, we have been to what was supposed to be a surprise 40th birthday party, but turned out to be a surprise wedding party instead!! Talk about turning the tables, a most excellent double bluff, only the bride & groom knew until minutes before the civil ceremony & all of us party guests were in the dark until the evening!! This was Friday evening & a good time was had by all!

On Saturday we set off for Hereford in glorious sunshine & arrived late afternoon. Lee spent the evening setting up his Mums new PC in readiness for the man coming to install Broadband on Monday morning.
We sat on her balcony in the evening sunshine & as the sun went down the sky was lit up with a fabulous fireworks display! The three choirs festival is taking place in Hereford this year & we think these fireworks were part of the celebrations!

On Sunday I took the boys to visit my Dad, since we lost Mum in '94 I've kept in contact with him, but don't see him very often. We all just seemed to move on in different directions, distance & family politics have both played their part! He's not seen my boys since they were very small, so it was nice for them to put a face to 'Gramps'!! He has since remarried but I've not met his wife - families can be strange things can't they?!! Anyway after we'd spent an hour
or so there we visited my Mums grave, she is buried at the church that Lee & I were married in, so it's a happy place - my only regret is she never knew my boys!

Monday, I spent with Rosemary - we had quality girlie time!! We went into town & stopped for coffee & a gossip, then we drove to Malvern for some retail therapy. We took her VW Beetle convertible & had the top down - I love this!! On our way back though we only just managed to get the top (electric thankfully!!) back up in time to miss a torrential downpour!!

We would have looked like a pair of drowned rats & definitely uncool!!
Tuesday was the BIG day!! My birthday AND Alex's birthday! He became a teenager & I.........well, I did not!!!!!
We had booked to visit Cadbury World & we set off on another sunny day to Bournville, Birmingham. I have never been, although I love Cadbury chocolate & remember that as a child at primary school, I would compete for academic prizes of Cadbury chocolate biscuits in commemorative tins! They must have sponsored some kind of educational programme. Anyway, back to the present!!

On arrival, we were immediately given free chocolate buttons & Curly Wurlys (How great is that!!) & as we progressed around the exhibits & factory tour more samples came our way! Lee & Alex stashed theirs away, but Nathan & I (like Mother like Son!!) munched away on ours as we walked around ooohing & aaahing at the displays & mountains of boxes of chocolate products stacked in the packing plant!!


My favourite bits were the historic exhibits - about the Cadbury family & how it all started. A close second was the final 'experience' where we got to choose whatever sweet we wanted & had it given to us in a small cup of liquid 'Dairy Milk' chocolate - pure heaven!!

The boys loved the outdoor playground and the 'Purple Planet' zone, which had loads of interactive stuff. They could design wrappers, check out facts about where in the world ingredients were sourced, plant (digitally) & nurture a cocoa tree to harvest, have a photo of themselves as chocolate statues, play 'maze' games, jump on moving cream egg images to try & splatter them, and their absolute favourite - using their shadows to catch, bounce & collect falling 'chocolate buttons' on a white screen!

Once all these activities had been done, we got to visit the factory shop - Oh yes!! It was magic! We resisted all the tat (although I did buy a fridge magnet!) & concentrated instead on stocking up on chocolate supplies!! We came away with a box of no less than SIXTY - yes 60!!! Curly Wurly's & various other Cadbury products, all at great discounts!!

Needless to say my weight loss plan has taken a back seat for the moment!!

The boys were disgusted that they weren't allowed to rip open the boxes on the way back to Hereford in the car!! But we really had, all of us, had enough chocolate for one day!!

Well maybe not quite enough!! As at teatime we lit the candles on Alex's chocolate birthday cake!! Ah well it just has to be done!!
This was when we both got to open up our cards & presents & all I can say is that we were both thoroughly spoiled!
In the evening we went out for a pub meal with family & as there was supposed to be a meteor shower visible in the night sky at 10.30pm, we sat out in the pub garden with our coffee's but we didn't see anything! Too cloudy maybe?!!

Anyway, home again, and we have unpacked our goodies & dirty laundry & each of us has spent the afternoon in our favourite spots - for me in my scrap space, catching up with emails, blogs etc!!
And of course it's Wednesday... so here is my WOYWW photo - my desk is so untidy where things have just been dumped since we came in!! You can see the punch & edging scissors the boys gave me as birthday gifts & some cards that were on the doormat as we came in, still waiting to be opened - lovely, it just makes the birthday last that little bit longer!!

11 comments:

Jocelyn said...

Oh I so enjoyed spending time reading about your time away!!!! Looks like you had a grand time.....and oh that chocolate sounds like heaven...I love Hubby's name....that is my Middle name...I am Jocelyn Lee and my that is carried on from my Mom and I passed it on to Danielle!!!! The pics are wonderful....the cake looked so yummy and YAY for electric roofs...so you did not get wet!!!! I love your work space and can't wait to see what you design next!!! Have a great day sweet friend!!! :)

Anna said...

So glad you both had such a wonderful birthday! :) Cadbury World seems to have changed quite a bit since we took Laura there for her 5th birthday! I don't remember there being all these games and interactive activities. Sounds fabulous!
Coincidentally, I visited my mother's grave (which is also at the church where Andy is married) at the weekend too. It always saddens me to think that my children have grown up never knowing their grandparents.
And yep! I'm with you on the strangeness of families ...
That birthday cake looked delicious! Love your photos :)

Lisa said...

Ahhhh! What a perfect way to spend a birthday! Family, chocolate...simply perfect! I so enjoy reading of your lovely adventures. While our lives are very different, they are very much the same. You create such imagery with your words. I feel like I'm there with you. Of course, you know I am in spirit. LOL! I also connect with your words on an emotional level...especially on the "family politics". I don't even know the details but I definitely can relate. Glad your young men got to see their grandfather. That will be always be a meaningful memory.

Thanks for sharing so much of yourself with us. It's a true pleasure to live vicariously through you. {hugs} and HAPPY belated BIRTHDAY! L

Unknown said...

Happy belated birthday - I've been enjoying your posts on DP - look forward to seeing more of your challenges!!!

BlessedinTexas said...

Thanks for the great update and post on your blog! this is my first time here and I enjoyed reading your last entry. Happy Belated Bday to you and your son!! Have a great weekend - Diana

Unknown said...

Happy birthday to you! And the surprise birthday turned surprise wedding story is a hoot! They must be some very fun people. BTW, what is WOYWW (what's on your workspace wednesday??)

Elizabeth R. said...

There is nothing better than spending good time with friends. Also great job cleaning up your scrapspace is it still clean?

Tiffany said...

Sandi,
Looks like you both had a wonderful Birthday. I love all the photos on your blog, I felt like I was there with you. Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

I can't imagine thinking I was going to a b-day party and it turned out to be a wedding instead. What a absolutely fun idea! Sorry - I think I must have overlooked your blog, but I am bookmarking it now :)

Heather Lough said...

Wow, you have had a busy time. Sounds like tons of fun but very exhausting. Happy belated birthday to you.

Leah said...

You have been BUSY!! And how fun is it that they turned the b'day party into a surprise wedding!!