A Good Morning Moment

Sitting on the sofa in the dark with Gracie & Graham this morning, Graham spontaneously sang a little song.

I'm a chilly bean
In a chilly pot.
I am cold,
I'm not hot.

When I asked where he learned it, he said that he had just made it up.  And it's made me smile as it runs through my mind all morning long (well, so far -- it's only 7:30).

"Gems from Rosie" (as quoted by Jason)

Jason:  Do you need to use the toilet?
Rosie: No, I don't think so.
Jason: Are you going to make a wet in your diaper before you fall asleep?
Rosie: Um, I got mixed up when I said I didn't need to use the toilet. I really do.

---

Then, while walking to the bathroom, Rosie announced, "When there's a wet on the grass, that's okay, but if you need to make a stinky that has to be in the toilet."

Counting a Blessing

I spent the morning in Knaresborough, a beautiful village about 30 minutes north of my house, walking along the river and having a chat with a friend.  In the middle of our walk, I felt like I had misunderstood the instructions for the zone where I parked & I was going to get ticketed. 

A minute later, I saw a parking warden & stopped her to ask if I understood the instructions properly.  If she had said no, I would have walked back up a rather steep hill to move the car immediately.  But she indicated I was in the clear & not to worry.

Well, when our two hours were at the end, my friend and I headed back to the car, where we arrived just in time to see the same parking warden preparing a ticket for my car.  I rushed up to her & said that I was getting ready to leave. 

It turns out that in North Yorkshire, people put little paper clocks (known as "discs") on their dashboards so that the wardens know when they've arrived & if they have exceeded their allotted time in various parking zones.  Not having a disc in my car, I was due for a ticket.  But because I'd talked to her earlier that morning, she cancelled the ticket and gave me a disc instead.

So glad I listened to the prompting to worry about the car, that I talked to the warden when I saw her such a short time after, & that I was returning to my car before she completed the ticket she was writing.  Just a little miracle for today that I need to remember.

Quidditch, anyone?

Rosie just walked up to me & made an undistinguishable pronouncement.  I understood her second attempt, "I have caught the Snitch." 

When I laughed, she took a yellow marble out of her mouth.

Kirkstall with Cousins

 Just because Grandma Jeanne will want to see these cute grandkids of hers hard at play.

Oh and a son-in-law playing with his new toy.

Remember, Remember

The lead-up to Bonfire Night (the politically correct name for Guy Fawkes') has required me to declare, "If you want to do sparklers, you've got to stop pestering me.  Otherwise I won't buy any!"  (I also did the same sort of thing for Halloween. It works.)

Anyway, my camera has a "fireworks" setting which makes every person a blurred mess, but the lights are pretty.

Transatlantic Recovery

Candy usually arrives in time for Halloween.  This year it was cousins. 

When trying to deal with the exhaustion from red-eye transatlantic flight that landed at 6:30 a.m. bouncing around helps.  Maybe I should market it as a jetlag cure, because neither cousin seemed to have any trouble with the new time zone.

Makes Me Laugh

Country Sunday

 Because of General Conference, we didn't have a typical Sunday routine.  So, the girls and I went for a walk in the fields across the street.  I know Cami is a city kid at heart, but she's still enjoys country pleasures once I get her out of the house...

Kettlewell Traditions

 Every year after the Scarecrow Walk, we let the kids throw rocks in the River Wharfe.  It's a gorgeous place to play in the water.

Bread meant for the ducks.

Are They Scary

Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival 2012

Tea Party in the Maypole.

 We have established the summer tradition of going to the Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival.  It's such a neat event -- charmingly rural & really clever.  The villagers put up scarecrows all over & the children can follow a map to find clues to a puzzle.

 With London 2012, there were more than a few nods to national pride.