I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

It's been snowing!!!

This is quite an amazing event for our family. The prospect of a white Christmas at home is sending everyone into excitement overload - including myself and Mr Bee.

It has only been a few flakes, mind you, nothing like what they are getting in the UK but still it has made the build up to Christmas all the more exciting. Someone at school was telling me that the ground temperature need to get to 0*C before the snow will stick; come on you North Wind you little ripper!

I have just checked the current temperature in Brisbane, where we are originally from, and it is 25.2*C at 1.10am in the morning.

It snowed on me as I packed the groceries into the car at 11.47am and then it has snowed again just as we were leaving Crabby Jack's restaurant at 2.49pm.

I took the Bumble B'eers, together with a few friend's families from school, to a Crabby Jack's lunch to celebrate the end of the school term and to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

Maybe all our Christmas Cheer will make it snow tonight - fingers crossed!

Christmas Cards are on their way!

This post is for all our family and friends. I just wanted to let you know that a Christmas card is on the way from Bumble Bee Cottage but that you will be receiving it a lloonnggg time after Christmas.

B1's Card

The Bumble B'eers designed cards at school and they were sent to a company in England who prints them. We only received the cards back last week and it was at least a week after the cut off date for things to be guaranteed of delivery to Australia before Christmas.

B2's Card

The cards have been posted this week but I can not say when you will receive them. I just wanted to let you know that you were not forgotten; Guernsey Christmas Wishes are on their way Down Under.

B3's Card

You will receive one of the three Bumble B'eer designs sent with much love and wish we were there and miss you heaps and can't wait to see you all very soon!

All our Love Me, Mr Bee, B1, B2 and B3

XXXXXOOOOOXXXXX

Pink Bridesmaids and Best Men

The card read: 'Time flies when you are having fun.

Congratulations to you both.

Love the Clare Place Gang'

I thought at first that I was having a mild stroke, that I had forgotten some monumental event. If I am completely honest the first thought that crossed my mind was 'Wait a minute - am I pregnant?' Did the Clare Place Gang know something I didn't? I know that I am NOT pregnant (do not call me Mum, I repeat, do not call me Mum - I am NOT, no way on God's green Earth pregnant!).

So why were Mr Bee and myself receiving floral gifts from afar? Well of course it made perfect sense that our Best Man and Bridesmaid in Pink should remember that it was our 10 year Wedding Anniversary in a few days time and that I had forgotten! In my own defence I did remember that our anniversary was coming up and that indeed it was our ten year anniversary at that, but Mr Bee and I had agreed that we wouldn't exchange gifts or go out to dinner as next year was the 20 year anniversary of being together; we would save the celebrations for then.


You see I had made it very clear to Mr Bee when we got married that I was not starting back at 1; we had been together for 9 years when we got married and as we were married on the 'anniversary' of our starting to date I said that he could forget me going back to all that 'wood, paper, chainsaw, lemon meringue pie anniversaries' and bring on the 'ruby, sapphire, emerald, diamond, vintage car and overseas holiday' ones all the sooner.

I do not expect our anniversary to be a noteworthy event for other people, not even our own children; which is why today's delivery was such a lovely surprise.


Mr Bee and I will still wish each other a 'Happy Anniversary' and make a special meal to share, when all the Bumble Bee'rs are tucked up in bed, with a few glasses of bubbles to accompany it.

Regardless of all my ramblings in this post I can't begin to tell you my Pink Bridesmaid and Best Man how lovely it was to receive this gift and to know that you are thinking of us. We miss you all so much, Clare Place Gang, and can't wait to see you soon. (Misty eyes, feeling a bit weepy, wish you were here chickee).

P.S. Mr Bee I know you will be reading this at work, so just let me state for the record, that next year, for the number 20, some form of gift and culinary experience outside the walls of our humble abode will be required my love ;P

Hyacinths

6.18am Saturday morning - I've been awake since 4.38am; dreaded insomnia strikes again.

£2.00 hyacinths from the Vazon Bay Hedge Vege/Flower stall.

Their scent is a nice way to wake up at least!

Warm Christmas Hearth

This was the Christmas display in the foyer of our school in Christmas 2008.

It was alot more traditional than this year's prolific Penguin display but certainly just as praise worthy.

It looks like a lovely place to spend Christmas to me with the jolly fire blazing away in the fireplace, all of which have been modelled from paper by the school's hard working staff.

I especially love the paper wreath. Our school makes an effort to ensure Christmas special for all its pupils; each and every one - as Tiny Tim would say - best portrayed in a 'Muppet Christmas Carol' in my humble opinion :P

Penguin Playground

Each half term the staff at our primary school decorate the foyer in a different theme.

This half term it is the Penguin Playground for Christmas. There are penguin story and factual books, penguin activity sheets, a large blow-up penguin and a penguin decorated Christmas Tree.

Every child in the school has a piece of art work on display. I think it gives the children not only a sense of pride in themselves and their work, but also in their school and the community they are apart of through the school.

The staff and the children put in so much work; it always looks fabulous and makes the entrance to the school so welcoming.

I just love Christmas, it tends to bring out the best in us all :)

Christmas Gingerbread

B2 has been doing Christmas craft at Rainbows. Rainbows is the same as 'Gumnuts' in Australia; the youngest group in the Girl Guide Association.

She was even kind enough to share them with her brother and sister; she was feeling in the Christmas spirit ;)

Rudolf comes to Guernsey

Mr Bee is mortified and has sworn he will not drive the car!

The Bumble Bee'rs want them worn at all times, sun, rain, hail, sleet and snow.

They certainly have caused a bit of a stir.

I must say, I think I will have had my fill of the Bumble Bee'rs singing 'Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer' by the end of the week though and there will still be 20 days of Christmas Carol Cheer left.

Thankyou to the Clare Place Gang who gave them to me for Christmas last year when we were in Australia.

Nothing wrong with spreading a little Christmas Cheer!

Demented Echinda on the Loose

Yesterday was B2's long awaited 'Animal Party' . Normally we tell the kids that they are allowed to invited seven guests, as that is what we can comfortably fit around our table. B2 'COULD NOT, NO WAY MUM' narrow it down to seven, so she invited eight. I just know that I have opened the flood gates now....'but she got to invite eight, why can't I invite eight?'

The new favourite colour of the moment is purple. The sequin masks were actually purchased in Australia two and a half years ago. And yes, if you were wondering, they are the dreaded eye exploding balloons from last year's Princess party. I wore my sunglasses to blow them up this time :P


Now you must understand that before we moved to Guernsey I had only visited the Island for five jet-lagged days, during which time we had only managed to find one supermarket. As a result I had some how convinced myself that we were moving to some sort of shopping wasteland, devoid of all children's party supplies. Before we left Brisbane I went on a stress fuelled shopping spree of epic proportions. Internet, what Internet? What do people in Guernsey do for party supplies? Why did I need all these party supplies? These rational questions never entered my somewhat panic stricken head. But where would I get glitter in the shape of flowers to sprinkle on the table??


You know people actually commented on how well I handled the big international move with three small children. I didn't handle it well at all actually, I just hid it well. They didn't see my 'Just in case' party supply box jammed so full of theme based party bag gifts or sequined masks that the lid would not close without a large amount of force.


Anyhoo, B2's party was a great success, at least she tells me it was. It was an animal party full of animal games 'Pin the Horn on the Unicorn' (designed by and drawn by B2), Pass the Parcel with animal questions asked of each guest, 'What am I?' where people had the name of an animal stuck on their backs an could ask one question of each guest that would result in a yes or no answer in order to work out what animal they were, Musical Statues, Sleeping Lions where they had to lie completely still and were only allowed to blink or breathe (very good game, takes ages and they are all quite!!! - highly recommended to all parents). Mr Bee suggested we just play eight games straight of sleeping lions, feed them and send them home!

Jelly ahh, the jelly. Four different flavours layered in ten little jelly cups and two rabbit moulds (well it is an animal party) - four and a half hours later, after each layer had set before you add the next one, it was finished.

The top of this poor little fellow's head came off in the mould so some quick bunny brain surgery was required. Please note the pink heart topped toothpicks on the sausages on the shelf below. Yep, they too were purchased two and a half years ago; don't tell anyone, I think it may be a sickness.

My poor, poor sad little echidna. I let B2 choose her own cake from my gazillon (this is a technical term specifically relating to children's cake books) kid's cake books and she choose an echidna ice-cream cake.

'Great, fabulous, stupendous' I thought as I made Mr Bee this cake for his 35th birthday and it was a snap. What a deluded idiot I am. I did not factor in the tiny, tiny, tiny space in our kitchen which is apparently called a freezer. This cake is made for an Australian freezer, more akin to the American type. The cake was after all from the Australian Woman's Weekly cookbook. The cake didn't fit, move the freezer shelf, the cake did not fit, move the freezer tray, sweat, swear, the cake did not fit, gray hairs sprouting. I had to assemble most of the cake while the guests where here. I did manage to stick in all the spines the night before but, brainiac that I am, I put raspberries in the ice-cream thinking it would make for a nicer cake (which it did) but try jamming a chocolate finger biscuit into a frozen raspberry hidden just below the ice-cream surface; snap, arrrgghhh, snap, arrrgghh, snap, mmmm one for me (stress relief don't you know).

Did you know that you can NOT purchase Ice Magic anywhere in Guernsey? Well I didn't and I may have rethought B2's cake had I known. So rather than the echinda having a wonderfully smooth and chocolate covered face he looked as if he had a bad case of the pox. The cake ended up looking, well a little sad to be frank, B2 sseeeemmmmmed happy but it definitely did not look like the picture in the book - it did taste OK judging by all the munching going on so I suppose it was a success. One of my more stressful cake experiences I must say but B2 enjoyed herself so at the end of the day this is all that mattered. Happy Birthday B2!

Caramel Bovine Noses

I love these two photos and I have been meaning to post them. I really like those cow paintings some artists do, right, up-close-and-personal with the cows. These photos reminds me of one of those paintings. I took them way back in September when we went blackberry and sloe picking. It wasn't really that long ago but it sure seems it at the moment. It was sunny - something we have been missing alot here at Bumble Bee Cottage.



It has been cold wet and very windy for the last five weeks. One Saturday morning, not too long ago, our trampoline made a bid for freedom into the great beyond. It was lifted up about five metres into the air, carried for fifteen metres across our yard and crash landed upside down on top of our swing set. One of the poles that hold the anti-child-breaking net around the outside was bent so it has been relegated to the patio, behind a wall, where hopefully it will not be able to repeat romp into the great blue, grey and cloudy really, beyond.

Ah, September, where have your sunny days gone. Ah October and November - the months of trying to wash our cottage into the ocean. Roll on the end of January when the happy little yellow daffs will cover the paddocks and hedge veges and drier days are on the way.

I don't mind the rain, really I don't; it is just that I would like to go outside and winter proof my garden before it is too late and I can't face doing it in the sheeting rain in 9*c plus the wind chill.

I think I'll just focus on the cows.

How narrow is too narrow?

Answer: If you fit it is NOT too narrow. It does not matter if you are in the Town (St Peter Port)........

or in the Country (St Saviour)........

Guernsey roads are narrow and a bit scary sometimes; especially if a tractor or truck comes the other way!

Grandes Rocques and Port Soif

8.37am at Grandes Rocques and Port Soif; 11*C, windy (a Fresh Force Five I'd say) and raining, on the way back from buying Cumberland sausages and smoked bacon for a hot Sunday morning breakfast.

Christmas at the Friquet

This post is for my Mum as she loves Le Friquet Garden Centre (this link is to the Le Friquet site but they still have the photos of the old nursery - I can't seem to find any of the new and improved model) and we always go for a mooch around there on her visits to Guernsey. I asked the lady at reception if it was OK for me to take photos to show my Mum; she said it would be fine but I could tell from her expression she felt pity for the strange Australian woman who obviously came from a country without Christmas decorations so she had to photograph them.

When Mum last visited the new and improved Le Friquet had not yet opened its doors. Le Friquet at Christmas time is something to behold. I used to visit the old plant shop at least once a week after the 1st of November (this is when they are allowed to start selling their Christmas decorations); eight weeks of Christmas bliss.

The new centre has certainly taken their Christmas displays up a notch. There are eight bays, each with a large table display in the middle. Most of the bays are colour coded, red (2 bays), gold, white, black/silver, natural/wooden, children’s (lots of Santas and gingerbread men), rainbow colours. At the entry to each bay is a tree decorated in the colours theme of that bay (sorry only one of the tree photos turned out). There is a large selection of Christmas trees, wreaths, lights and other Christmas related paraphernalia. I am amazed at the sheer quantity of stock.

I am sorry about the quality of the photos but I took them without the flash as the flare off the decorations made the photos too glarey.

Hopefully this post will tempt my family over for a Guernsey Christmas one year ;)

A Pride of Purple Pussycats

It is B2's birthday in a few weeks so it was time to get organised and make her party invitations. She wants an 'Animal Party' theme so she chose pussycat design.

I'm am not entirely sure what an Animal Party is going to entail and every time I ask her it is quite clear that she does not really know either. I am sure we will nail down the finer details as we get closer to the big day.

It is going to be an all girl party (NO BOYS ALLOWED - except for B1 that is).

B2 is home with the dreaded Donkey Fever but managed to rally herself enough to help cut, glue and draw for an hour and a half to create this pretty purple pride of pussycats.

The 'S' Word

The 'S' word is recognised globally as a taboo; if we don't talk about it it is not real. Well we have been living the 'S' word for two weeks now and let me tell you it's real alright.

SWINE FLU; ssshhhh but don't tell anyone ok. There have been three confirmed cases in Jersey but I have not heard of any 'confirmed' cases in Guernsey. What does it mean to have confirmed Swine Flu anyway? Do they stamp a massive red rubber stamp on your forehead 'UNCLEAN' and make you wear a cow bell? Is a case confirmed when you take your child to the Doctor and they say they are 90% sure it is Swine Flu but no blood test is done? Swine Flu is no worse than your normal flu, people die every year of boring old normal flu but the media don't give it a fancy name so therefore it is not as dangerous. Swine Flu - it leads to images of Doctor Who pig men with runny noses.

Anyhoo we have unconfirmed Swine Flu at our school. Yesterday there were 106 pupils out of approximately 280 and 5 staff away sick. There is alot of playground talk about the school closing but it seems to me it is like shutting the gate after the horse has already bolted. B3 had it last week on Saturday, Sunday and Monday but was fit and well on Tuesday so she went back to school. B1 had it Tuesday night, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday but had picked up by Saturday afternoon so he was back at school on Monday. Other children have not recovered so fast and have been in bed for up to 10 days.


By Tuesday the rules had changed and if your child is displaying symptoms they must stay off school for seven days. I had to go to the office Tuesday morning and there were 12 kids waiting for their parents to come and collect them as they were being sent home. I have heard of three other schools on the Island with a few off sick but our school has been hit the worst. Yesterday afternoon B2 was absolutely 100% fine so we went to dancing. BIG MISTAKE! All the other children at dancing are from the a different school to ours and when I mentioned the dreaded lurgy that was attacking our school all the other Mums looked at me bewildered; no children were sick at their school. 'Had we already had it?' they asked; 'Oh yes, but B2 hasn't but she is fine - no temperature or any other symptoms.' B2 complained of a headache last night at 5.30pm and had a slight temperature. I feel terrible; the thought of spreading this horrible thing to an entirely new school! What an idiot! I don't know what I was thinking or even if I was, in fact. I hope she didn't infect anyone or I am NOT going to be very popular next week.

So there we have it. Is it Swine Flu for sure? Well I guess we will never know as no-one as had a blood test. Is it nasty and highly contagious? Yes definitely; high temperatures, headaches, vomiting, diarrhea. Does it deserve a name of its own? Most definitely; what about the Deadly Guernsey Germ or the Seven Day Sentence or Donkey Fever (as donkeys are the symbol of Guernsey). I think Donkey Fever sounds best as we are going with an animal theme.

Read all about it Donkey Fever hits Guernsey......yes folks you heard it here first!