On the Tolkien Trail……….

Posted on by Libby Price

As the front of my blog says, I am a Brummie Mummy and my husband is a proud Brummie too!   In fact when we had to complete the forms to get married in St Lucia we had to fill in the place of birth of our parents:

Birmingham, Birmingham, Birmingham, Birmingham.

Our 3 daughters all have Birmingham on their birth certificates – but our son has Redditch.  We’re hoping this doesn’t cause him a complex in later life!

A decade ago we moved to a village just outside the sprawl of England’s second city (in fact, my parents used to come on Sunday school outings here when they were kids as it was the ‘countryside’)  – but we’re still within striking distance (and sometimes hearing distance depending on the direction of the wind) of the motorway network and thus the infamous spaghetti junction and can be in ‘town’ within half an hour.

This gives us a wealth of places to visit within an hour of leaving the house – but often you don’t take advantage of what’s right on the doorstep.

Last week we went to Sarehole Mill – and all 4 kids enjoyed it (this is a feat in itself!).  The older ones enjoyed learning about Tolkien who lived nearby as a child and there was plenty to keep the little 2 entertained (fishing game, brass rubbings) And, the favourite thing for them all, was watching the water mill in action.  The mill is operational on Wednesdays and Sundays through the summer – and it definitely adds to the experience. It’s free for the kids to get in, and was £3 for me.  There were also craft activities for a small charge on Wednesday – and so the kids all made farm animals!! We had lunch across the road at ‘The Hungry Hobbit’ (a friendly greasy spoon, with great bacon sandwiches and scrambled egg or beans on toast) – although we could have had cake at the mill itself.

Sarehole Mill 1 Sarehole Mill 2

There are other Tolkien sites to visit in and around the city on the Tolkien Trail – so they’re also on the hit list for the holidays.  Given the big 2 have read the books and seen the films, it helps bring it all even more to life. Now – if we could just plan a trip to New Zealand to see where the films were made……………

Sweets for my sweets, sugar for my honey – and cake for my friends and family!

Posted on by Libby Price

My Dad used to work for a silver company (Birmingham is renowned for silversmithery – I may have just made up that word?!?)  They used to sell to jewellers, department stores – and even Tiffany (the luxury jeweller rather than batwing wearing 80s postrel). At Christmas time they would send their customers presents – and one year despatched Fortnum and Mason stilton cheeses to people.  In the New Year a customer in Japan wrote back thanking them for the ‘cake’ that they’d sent!!  They must have thought it went very mouldy in transit – poor cheese!!

Now one of my friends sends cakes by post – and they always arrive in tip top condition and beautifully packaged – and could never ever be mistaken for stinky cheese!!!  Bee set up  the Very Smart Cookie Company sending mail order cakes around the UK.  Given I am not renowned for my baking (or actually any cooking type activities) this has been a godsend – so far I have:

  • Ordered cakes for us at home – just to try out the service (don’t tell my personal trainer!). The kids have loved them – so much so that we had melt down from the 2 and 4 year olds in our local cafe yesterday as the carrot cake wasn’t like Bee’s!
  • Had the sticky toffee pudding as dessert when we’ve had guests (everyone liked the ‘lightness’ of it)
  • Requested a box to the holiday cottage we were staying in last October half term in Devon.  A warmed piece of salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bar with ice cream made up for the torrential rain outside!
  • Sent boxes ahead to my sister’s house when we were invading for the weekend as my food contribution (it was a chocolate selection box – and everything went down a treat!)
  • Took the chocolate chip orange drizzle cake with me for a dress fitting for my 40th birthday (thank goodness for the corset they also made!)
  • Purchased a box for the aforementioned sister when she was stuck at home with a broken ankle (apparently it was worth getting off the sofa and hopping to the door for the postman for – high praise indeed!)
  • Procured special mother’s and father’s day boxes (unsurprisingly for my Mum and Dad) which were selection boxes with added extras (daffs / chocolates / sparkles / hand written cards) – they went down very well, and 2 of everything meant the parentals didn’t have to fight over them!!
  • Posted to a friend who was in the midst of a family crisis when I felt pretty helpless and wanted them to know I was thinking of them (this was specifically nut free – and I know gluten free and dairy free options are also available – so don’t be afraid to ask!)
  • Dispatched one to a (mad!) friend who was running the London marathon – I’d envisaged it for carb loading pre race – but she saved it as a celebration and ate some of it in the car on the way home!
  • And perhaps my very favourite (see my very first post To Blog or Not To Blog) ‘The Boozy Box’ – Gin and Tonic Drizzle, Rum and Banana Cake, Black Forest Tiffin and Di Sorono and Almond Frangipane Tart.  It was as amazing as it sounds (although I subbed the Rum and Banana Cake for more G&T drizzle – as everyone knows banana is the devil’s food!!)

Salted caramel chocolate cookie barVictoria spongeVSCC

 

I’m pretty sure there will be plenty more cake sending opportunities very soon!  Most people love cake (I certainly do – which is fairly evident – in the paraphrased words of Shakira ‘these padded hips don’t lie!!’) – so go and have a sneaky peak at the Facebook page – you won’t be disappointed!!  Unless you live outside the UK –  then you will be – sorry…….

 

(Now, in an attempt to sound like a ‘proper’ Blogger, I have not been paid (in cash or cake!) for this review – I just want to spread the love!) 

 

Not representing my country at sport!

Posted on by Libby Price

As a family (well, 2/3rds of it anyway) we had a brilliant time at London 2012 seeing athletics and horse action in the same day (can you tell I’m not an equestrian expert?!)

London 2012And this interest has been maintained by watching the current Commonwealth Games on TV (not sure why we didn’t apply for tickets this time – regretting that now!).  The kids have really enjoyed watching it and cheering on the home nations.

Today we were watching the lawn bowls – which whilst it’s a Commonwealth sport is not, to date, an Olympic sport.

Way back in 1999 I was on secondment in Sydney, Australia with the accountancy firm I then worked for.  One of my fellow secondees, Nick from Nottingham, was a lawn bowls player and had, in fact, represented England at it.  We were working with a (very attractive) local colleague called Xena (she wasn’t the actual warrior princess – but was not dissimilar in stature) and she rowed for Australia. When she told us this, I commented that I was the only one on the team who hadn’t represented their country at a national sport – to which Xena asked Nick what sport he’d represented England at.  He was embarrassed to admit that it wasn’t a very sexy sport and it was lawn bowls (and was mortified I’d made him tell her!!)

Having thought about it – I might not have represented my country at sport – but during that 3 month secondment, I did drink Aussie beer and wine for England!!!

Now these are more ironic, Alanis!

Posted on by Libby Price

This house – like many I know – is OBSESSED with the Disney film Frozen.  The youngest 2 would watch it on a pretty much permanent loop if they were permitted – and the older 2 might pretend they’re too cool – but they have been known to join in and belt out the songs as well, just as long as no one knows (oh………..)

P1010299Anna

The other day, the Frozen DVD froze.  Ironic, eh?

Which reminded me of the Alanis Morissette song of the same title and my youngest sister’s legendary quote ‘most of it’s not ironic, it’s just annoying’!!  And I have to say – I agree!

‘It’s like rain on your wedding day’ – ironic or irritating?  
When we got married in St Lucia in 2003 there was a fair amount of tropical rain in the morning.  The staff at the hotel kept telling me it was ‘showers of blessing’ to the point that I was going to punch the next person who said it!  (I was 13 weeks pregnant and very hormonal – in fact, I could start a whole category of blog posts on things that happened when I was pregnant and hormonal – leading off with the day I made an auditor cry………….)

‘It’s like 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife’ – ironic or inconceivable?
a) How ridiculous to over exaggerate so wildly about the numbers involved and
b) everyone knows it’s the teaspoons that go missing from every set of cutlery you buy.

‘It’s a black fly in your chardonnay’ – ironic or infuriating?
Annoying.  Even more so if the white wine was warm.  I once stated that ‘the worst thing in the world is warm white wine’ – to which my husband pointed out that other people probably had more pressing issues in their lives.

‘It’s a traffic jam when you’re already late’ – ironic or inadequate time management?
And at this point I may have run out of alliterations!!

If Ms Morissette ever plans a sequel, I would suggest the following things are more ironic than most of her list:

  • Spelling and grammar mistakes in a report from school about your child’s literacy.
  • The builder at the dinner table being able to divide the bill quicker than the rest of the guests who are mostly accountants (mentioning no names!)
  • The fact that you’ve just promised your children that they can park on level 15 (being the roof) of the multi storey car park and then as you drive past the prime ‘mother and child’ positions at level 4 – right by the entrance to the shops – someone pulls out and leaves a space.  Admittedly not that simple to lyricise, but my experience this afternoon!!!

Watching a repeat of Friends

Posted on by Libby Price

I am lucky to have some amazing friends.  Many live in foreign climes (which I am hoping is a coincidence, and not that I am driving people to emigrate?) and I am sure that all will have the (dubious?) honour of being blogged about in the coming months.

One of my very good friends I met 19 years ago when we started working for the same accountancy firm in Birmingham in August 1995.  Since then we’ve been through A LOT together, including:

  • 3 marriages (the extra one was mine)
  • 6 kids (again, I’m up on a 2:1 ratio!)
  • Weightwatchers (I suspect that I’m up on a 2:1 ratio on current weight?!)
  • Moving from drinking pints of lager, to the far more sophisticated (and less calorific) spritzers, through ‘a nice Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc’ (it was a joke that we didn’t know any other wines and so had to order one of those!!) to now, when it’s pretty much fizz or gin based!!
  • Trips abroad (once we shared a double bed at my flat whilst I was on secondment in Sydney and relegated her boyfriend (now husband) to the floor with a spare towel as his blanket!!)
  • Soft play hell (the downside of the 2:1 kids ratio being I still have to endure it)
  • Many family occasions – christenings, birthday parties, 40th celebrations
  • And a LOT of cups of tea (mostly decaf!)

All of our children get on really well (evidenced by the fact that we hardly saw them on Sunday afternoon as they played nicely together and we adults could sit in the sunshine eating BBQ food, drinking wine / beer / tea / coffee and chatting!!)  But what is lovely is seeing how close our eldest 2 daughters are.  They’re only a few months apart in age, however go to different schools, but already see themselves as BFFs.  They are (worryingly!) like us in so many ways (ex colleagues are now doing a sharp intake of breath at that prospect!!) and growing up into such lovely girls – I’m so proud of them both.

Daisy and Molly

Although their Dads are already planning to accompany them when they ask to go to Ibiza in a few years time………..

 

Grand-parental homophones

Posted on by Libby Price

Last week we FINALLY got the 9 year old to have his haircut, I know I’m biased, but I think he looks pretty handsome (and only slightly like a football hooligan who managed to get ketchup on his top at teatime)!!  

Luke

Looking at this photo reminded me of one of my Dad as a youngster – back in the day…..

Grandad Graham 

So I was discussing with the boy about how he looked like his Grandad – but pointed out this wasn’t unexpected given they shared the same genes.

He looked at me in a very confused and quizzical manner – then I realised he thought I meant ‘jeans’…………..

Then I recalled last season when my eldest daughter and I were chatting one Sunday afternoon whilst the football was on the TV in the background.  The commentator excitedly said that ‘Nani did an amazing run down the wing’ – to which the daughter did a double take at the TV fully expecting to see my Mum on the pitch at Old Trafford impressing the crowd with her silky skills ………….

 

 

 

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Naming my 5th baby……….

Posted on by Libby Price
  • When I was considering starting this repository of my inner thoughts – I put it ‘out there’ on Facebook and asked for suggestions as to what any future blog could be called.  My friends came up with lots of different ideas – and I thought they would provide a pretty good summary of what other people think of me – and would therefore make an informative second posting ….
     
    Multiple Children
    I liked the simplicity of ‘Party of Six’ and the fact that it reminded me of the TV show with one less to the party from the 1990s. However a husband and father of four in the US had already baggsied that name……
    Then – in the spirit of a Richard Curtis film ‘Four children and a prosecco’ – which does pretty much sum up my life and leads me on to the next topic……. 
     
    Booze Related Matters
    ‘Life, Prosecco, Ocado and Me’ – my sisters have long said my house should be sponsored by John Lewis and my kitchen cupboards by Waitrose or Ocado! I’m pretty much on first name terms with the delivery drivers from all of those companies.  Now – does anyone know anything about blog sponsorship?!?
    The suggestion of ‘Tonic Finder’ follows a particularly bad experience at the Alton Towers Resort Hotel where they had NO TONIC!!  Not just no slimline tonic, but no ACTUAL TONIC AT ALL!!  (I may have to blog about this in the future – but for now, here’s the Trip Advisor review!!) 
     
    Employment Matters
    ‘Not all accountants are boring’ reminded me of how aggrieved I was that the 1990s cult viewing ‘This Life’ was based around a bunch of lawyers and not accountants!!  Those of us working for the Big 6 accountancy firms back in the late 90s had an equally debauched life of working hard, playing hard and studying hard, but we weren’t made to look sexy in a TV drama.  I hope this blog does prove that not ALL accountants are boring?!
     
    Age Related Matters
    Four months ago I had a BIG BIRTHDAY – I celebrated at the time with a fabulous party with lots of my family and friends, and then have been using it as an excuse for loads of trips and activities this year – so ‘Life Begins’ was very apt.  I would definitely recommend grasping the whole 40th thing with both hands for anyone who’s not quite there yet.
     
    Name Puns
    Obviously with my surname ‘The Price is Right’ was suggested a number of times – and is very similar to what I plumped for!  There were other great suggestions too such as ‘Practically Perfect Price (mostly)’  – who doesn’t love an alliteration? And then ‘Taking Libby-ties’ – which read in my native Brummie tongue was AMAZING – but, as yet there aren’t local accent fonts (**Dragon’s Den here I come**)
    I discounted ‘Libby’s Blog’ for being just a bit dull (and it wasn’t even an accountant friend that suggested it!!)
    And then ‘The REAL Pricey speaks (not the blow up doll one that looks like a hooker!)’!!  I was grateful that it was clarified that I didn’t look like a lady of the night – although I do share Katie’s ample bosom (mine’s 100% self generated and thus to be found under my arm pits when I lie down – the joy of 4 lots of breast feeding!)  I then realised we did both have 4 kids at the moment – although mine are all with the one husband (aforementioned husband has had a beer with Dwight Yorke when he played for Aston Villa, been told by one of my friends that he reminds her of Peter Andre, and is a builder by trade – so is pretty much all of ‘Jordan’s’ baby fathers rolled into one!!!)  However there won’t be another Price child here – this blog is definitely my 5th baby!!

To blog or not to blog……

Posted on by Libby Price

Some time ago – in the thing called ‘The Real World’ – Running Rufus said to me that my living of my life through Facebook amused her immensely – and I should write a book! This ignited a long held (but repressed) desire to write.  I’m an accountant by trade – I do numbers, I don’t do words (well, apart from correcting the grammar of everything I read in my day to day life , my reputation as a grammar pedant is far spread , which gives added pressure to anything I do write!!) 

I suspect everyone thinks they have a book in them (not literally – although after 4 kids perhaps not totally physically impossible?!) – but isn’t that like property development – easier in your imagination than reality (said through gritted teeth and a ‘non Kevin McCloud , no living in a caravan, nor having a baby during the process – but still hideous overspend on the budget’ type way)? 

It’s all well and good baring your soul on social media at any given time (so much so that the consultant upped the levels on the oxytocin drip during the birth of piglet number 4 as he couldn’t believe my contractions were strong enough if I could still tweet and post to Facebook during the latter stages of labour) but actually writing a book – that’s a frightening commitment.… 

So maybe a blog would be the way forward?  Find my inner voice? See how it’s received?  But when / how / where?  My husband already thinks I spend FAR too much time on social media and trying to be ‘down with the kids’ (although by writing that phrase I have pretty much proved that I’m not!)  If I was to spend any more time sharing family secrets whilst secreted away in my office and not partaking in family activities – it could result in a divorce.  Although that would involve him filling in forms – and given I fill in every form that comes here for him (in the past week that’s been a speeding fine and congestion charge penalty notice) I could be on safe ground. 

But what to blog about?  

The 4 children (and the 2 vasectomies and 1 vasectomy reversal that brought some of them about)?

The 5 stone weight gain babies 3 and 4 in quick succession (and associated addiction to frappuccinos, steak and vegetable paninis and rocky road) brought about and the never ending quest to lose this whilst also consuming vast quantities of gin and tonic and cake – or on a particularly lucky day gin and tonic cake? 

The construction company that’s now the day job – yes, I’m a hairy arsed builder – which leads me on to the husband’s waxing experience whilst we were recently on holiday, segway-ing into holidays ‘sans’ and with children – and back to those pesky kids again….. 

So lots of scope for blogging, not much time for it, to blog or not to blog – that is the question…………