The one where Mini Cuckoo has his first birthday tea party.

On the morning of Mini Cuckoo's birthday I recieved the following email from my Step Dad, remember him? Ex Royal Navy, stiff upper lip, he of quiet reserve? Well it turns out he is getting soft in his old age (he reads this and knows I'm kidding...though he is REALLY old. Still kidding had you for a minute there didn't I Chukins!)

"Happy Birthday Mini Cuckoo! It is hard to imagine that I held you for the first time a year ago, and told you I was your Grandad when you turned and looked me in the eye, I was so proud!

         Happy First Birthday

                                       Love from  Grandad   XXXXX"

It was an ordinary victoria sponge cake made special with the bunting Jooles
made for Mini's Christening last year.

We had a teeny tiny tea party for Mini. My Mum and Step Dad arrived laden down with a helium balloon, amongst other bits, with "First Birthday" on it which I can deflate and pop in his memory box like I have the other two boys. Their balloons, you understand, not they themselves! Although sometimes I think it would be nice to pack them away for ten minutes. Especially when they are scrapping. My Dad and his wife came along too. The boys call my Dad Grandad Pig because he eats loads. 

We gave Mini the key board I mentioned Mr C was loving (just a little bit too much for a grown man) in my last post. turns out Mini is equally in love with it, if not more so. He plays with it frequently and is so sweet squwarking into the voice changing micro phone. He even does a funny leg wibble like Elvis. I particularly like it when he is wearing his blue suede shoes slippers.

I love that photograph even though I'm holding him in a very undignified fashion as I was putting him in his highchair.

☆

On Tuesday, after we dropped Big off at school and Mini was having his schluff (our word for nap) Little Cuckoo asked if we could please now make the den I had promised him that morning. Now I'm not the best ever Mother to boys other than I like to cook and feed which I hear is a really good thing when you have teenage boys. I'm also talented at stain removal from clothing, which is very handy when you have children who could get filthy in a sterile bag. However when it comes to dens I am AMAZING. Yep. I am. I can have a wonderful den constructed in moments. I'm looking forward to the dens we will make when they are a bit older. Dens that will be made with cool stuff like planks of wood and branches...and bunting.

We had a jolly time under the old table. It's really old, about 1760's apparently. Little pointed at the wood worm holes and declared someone had been very naughty and had been jabbing forks into it. Now there are a few details I want to point out to you. The quilt was deliberately hung that way around so that it would look like wallpaper. Nice touch hey?

The tea tray is the one with the legs that come down making it a very good one to have ones Mothers Day Breakfast on. A breakfast that might look something like this:

Going back to the tray, it is kept in the Lovely Cupboard. The big one to the right of the fridge. The one Mini likes to squirrel about in at any given opportunity. The one where we keep our glasses. The tray is in the bottom on the right. The nice looking tea towel that is on top of the tray is in the drop down cupboard on the left on the top shelf. On Mothers Day it would be very nice to have a breakfast tray such as this with a handmade card from the boys. 

Mr C, I hope you have taken note, if we have a rerun of last year then I will stick a kipper in the heated seat in your car. Ha!!!

Ok back to the den and the Elevensies we enjoyed. As we were sitting there slurping our tea and chomping on Walkers French Fries and raisins, Little declared it was too dark. We need light, he said. Get some of those stringy lights in here, he said. So I did. Oh lordy how happy was I? Vintage china, pretty fabrics, fairy lights, my boy and crisps.

Totally worth getting a cricked neck for.

I love how I have five fingers in this pic! It reminds me of my favourite skirt I had as a child. It had a cow with five legs on it.

I have about 60 photographs of these cups and not one is in focus.

The tea cups we had our tea in were a lovely gift from a bloddie. Heather (Little Tin Bird) had mentioned to me way back in the Autumn that she had something she wanted to send me. I was chuffed to bits as I had something I wanted to send her but had worried it might be a bit forward of me. So in January I sent Heather her gift and received these gorgeous tea cups, saucers and cake plates. A perfect pair. She also sent me two balls of 4ply cotton yarn in a bluey pink colour. I'm not sure what I'll make with it yet as I want to make something I'll use and keep for a very very long time. Any ideas?

Go here to see what I sent Heather and to hear the story behind the pair of teacups.

Talking Bloddies, I went to The Vintage and Handmade Fair in Chipping Sodbury on Saturday. It was great, really great. I got some treasure which I'll have to blog about some other time. But the best thing was I met Fee of Chipper Nelly fame. We had such a lovely time. We really did. Oh how our cheeks ached after a day of smiling, laughing, chatting and frequently saying "Me Too!". We met some other bloggers there too which was marvellous. After hearing Fee and Michele talking about there tortoises I now really would like one but their toes make me feel a bit odd. Can you believe we didn't take a single picture? We have plans afoot for meeting up at Easter so we will compensate then. Hoping to meet Nellie then too (Hope Mabel feels better soon).

xxx

ps That lump on my head. The X ray results came back and it is not a scary nasty cancer. Thank the Lord! I rang for the results and they gave me the good news. That knot of worry dissolved instantly. But what on earth is it?! What is this funny bony lump that is slowly growing out of my swede?

pps. Want to see some wonderful coats my friend makes and sells in my fave shop and want to see a really minging pic of me at the same time? Go here! Click on the second pic down.