Yasmin & Theo's Farewell Picnic Lunch

Yasmin and Theo had their farewell picnic lunch in the Botanical Gardens. It was a hot sunny day. We played football and cricket, held a sack race and an egg and spoon race. Some of the children got very wet under the sprinklers. It was a great occasion for us all to remember. Thanks to all the parents for their help and I'm sure we'll be in touch in the future. Sorry if we didn't get your photograph, but there's some interesting video footage in which you all feature.



The picnic lunch get's started.



Alice waving her hat.



Oliver and Yasmin.



Hannah and Yasmin.



Yasmin showing Haya a ladybird.



Daisy, Rachel and Albie.



Henry and Yasmin.



Theo with his mate Isaac.



Neil and Ellie with the twins Jamie and Matthew.



Ethan relaxing with his Mum and Dad.



Haya, Isabel and Helen.



Kaikora get's some attention from Beth, Tim and Rosa.



Alice with Simon and Mary.



Matilda after her sprinker shower.



Abbie and her family.



Alison and Catriona enjoy a cuddle.

The Whale Met a Man

Once there was a Whale. He had no friends to play with. So he thought and thought and he had an idea. He decided to swim about until he found a human. Then when he was swimming about, he saw a man who was diving in the sea.
'Hello there,' said the Whale. 'My name is Water. What's your name?'
'My name is Robin,' said the man.
'Can we be friends?' asked Water the Whale.
'Yes, I would be delighted,' said Robin.
Water the Whale smiled. 'You could come down once a week to see me.'
So from that day Robin came down regularly to play with his new friend, Water the Whale. They had great times together.
THE END.
An original story by Yasmin (written on a cloudy Sunday!)

Morning Rituals

Steve is Roger's brother who lives in London. He requested a post on our blog, so here it is.



The first thing Steve does every morning is celebrate life - he's that kind of guy!



George & Theo after breakfast.



Yasmin preparing to go to school via the walking bus.

NZ Update

You may wonder why it's taking so long for us to make our move to Auckland. Well, we're learning it takes time to complete all the necessary forms and if you want to live an a country that's more laid back, things naturally take longer. However, we are making slow but steady progress and we'll let you know when everything is finally sorted.



Theo and Yasmin get things started with a small 'garage sale' without help from Mum & Dad.

Bluebell Wood

You may have read on a previous post that Roger was 40 years young in January. Friends were invited to contribute towards the purchase of a single work art. After weeks of searching Roger finally found a painting he loved. He travelled to the Bonhams art auction in Chester where he successfully bid for Bluebell Wood by James Lawrence Isherwood.



Bluebell Wood required some restoration and cleaning, but has already provided a great deal of viewing pleasure. A big thank you to all who made a contribution!



Just fifteen minutes drive from our home in Sheffield is one of our favourite circular walks. In May each year the path is adorned with bluebells which provided the inspiration for Roger to acquire Isherwood's painting. Can you believe it's not the same place?

Check out www.isherwoodart.co.uk if you want to know more about James Lawerence Isherwood.

Summer Sun

We know summer has arrived when the kids insist we dust off the paddling pool so they can have some fun splashing about with their friends. Here we are joined by Jane, Meena and baby Charlie.



Charlie and Jane.



Theo soaking up the rays of sunshine (only to get burnt) as Meena looks on.



George enjoying a cuddle with Charlie.

On Yer Bike

It's a special moment when you first learn to ride your bike without stabilisers. It was something both Yasmin and Theo managed to achieve on the same day. It won't be long before the 'grown ups' get on their bikes too.



Yasmin stands proudly beside her bike with a true sense of achievement.















'Look, no stabilisers!!'















Theo making his way through the garden.

Spring Wedding

We all love a good wedding and when Joy and Bryan invited us to share their big day we were delighted to attend.



Joy being carried across the threshold by the best man (left) and husband Bryan (right).



Joy looking fabulous outside Edern church, Wales.



The hen girls happy to share a smile on Joy's wedding day.



It's not often we get the chance to dress up. Seems we still scrub up well.

It's just not Cricket...

England versus Sri Lanka at Edgbaston.



We had a full day's play in hot sunshine and witnessed Sri Lanka collaspe (141 all out) under the pressure of Englands seam bowlers. Shame England have not been able to build on this during the Sri Lanka tour. Let's hope things improve as the summer progresses.

Calender Girls

Joy, raring to go (see helmet) wanted a different kind of hen party and she couldn't wait to get the girls started on the indoor go-cart races in Sheffield.
Competitive? You bet! But it's the taking part, not winning that counts (....yeah right).




The girls are ready for blast off in their fabulous designer (boiler) suits. At least George is happy with the colour.



A winning combination - just like Joy & Bryan!



Who's that smiler in number three?

Grandad Visits

Grandad Tom made his way from Barnard Castle to Sheffield to visit and hang out with George, Theo and Yasmin.



Tom and George catch up in Sheffield's Botanical Garden.



Tom pointing the way as Theo and Yasmin head for a short ride.

Twelve in Wales

Easter in Wales was wonderful and very special as we met with our friends.



Great to see how quickly the children grow and how we all seem so grown up.



The Easter bunny was very busy but gave the children plenty to smile about.



Our host Carolien, radient in the Easter sun.



Luis, Wyn and Roger taking things easy as they nurse a hangover.



George and Alex wind swept under a beautiful blue sky.



Luis is happy to be buried beneath a mountain of children.

Write on...

The next time someone asks me if I've read any interesting books recently, I'll be happy to recommend 'A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian' by Marina Lewycka and 'Broken Biscuits' by Liz Kettle. Last night they read extracts from their books and shared personal thoughts on the process of writing a novel which was particularly enlightening. Both authors live and write in Sheffield.















Marina with her novel, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian.















Liz following the launch of her first novel.

On the sofa...

Recent visitors to the Shakes sofa include...



Josiah, Dave and Daniel invade the Spurs household to watch Arsenal beat Real Madrid.



Oscar having a bedtime story with Yasmin and Theo during his sleepover.



Girls (not) Aloud!

Snow place like Sheffield

2006 was a traditional winter giving us the chance to enjoy snow on the Peaks.

Stafford - the Edge of reason

Our return trip to Stafford to see Clare, Martin, Ben and Sam proved great fun, particulary for the kids.





Hiding and diving in their mammoth den.



A trip to Monkey Forest in Trentham was wonderful...



...and a little scary!



Theo giving the thumbs up to a fab meal.



Ben keeps the train on track.

Brazil win the World Cup?

There's a rumour that Brazil are set to win the 2006 World Cup. So in preparation Roger decided to adopt their colours for the Shakes Badminton indoor Championship at Sheffield's English Institute for Sport.



Could the 3 - 0 set victory over George be a sign of things to come?

The Chronicles of Half Term

February half term arrived without a drop of snow to stop us having a great adventure.















Hannah (Susan), Yasmin (Lucy), Nikhil (Peter) and Theo (Edmund) enjoying their own interpretaion of The Chronicles of Narnia.


Yasmin (Lucy) prepares to become a Princess.