Oh dear, a month has passed...

Time is evaporating at the moment. I leap from weekend to weekend in 7 league boots.

Things that have happened:

I have grown more stuff. The peppers were meant to be sweet but are actually spicier than the jalapeno's that they share a pot with. Lovely though.

The pumpkins are taking over the garden. I have 3 plants- one is a small kitchen variety and the other two were from Blackheath Market so lord knows what they'll grow into. The two unknowns are currently 9 feet in length and still growing. I keep catching Dr Roar standing at the top of the garden eyeing them menacingly and threatening them with shears.

I continue to win at baking. This was last weeks garlic and basil focaccia, tweaked from Jamie Olivers basic bread recipe in 'Jamie's Kitchen'. Instead of the olive & tomato topping that Jamie suggests, I whizz up sea salt, black pepper, olive oil, fresh basil (and just about any herb I can get my hands on to be honest) and a metric f*ckton of garlic, and then pour it over the pressed-into-a-tin-with-holes-made-in-it bread dough for the second proving. Then bake and eat warm.

Small Roar and I have bene creative this summer, while the playgroups are closed. We have made miniature gardens...

.. A plaster & paint alphabet and number set....

... and played about in art galleries (Ikon toddler mornings are fabulous & free. Next one is early September). We've had many playdough, cake baking, sandpit, paddling pool and nature walk moments too. He starts Nursery School in September and our play-all-day routine will change to school 5 afternoons a week. I'm a bit sad that his 'babyhood' is now over, but so excited about the next step of the journey.

Speaking of which. Behold, the box of many (icing) colours. I have a plan. It involves cake and food colouring and Small Roar's 3rd birthday (which is only 9 days away!). Not too encouraged by this...

 
Erk. Good job it's not being used in GREAT QUANTITIES at a childs birthday party then... ;)

Finally, I continue to keep sane due to this:

So glad I conquered my inner defeatist and learnt how to knit. I heard an interesting documentary on Radio 4 about how there's been a middle class shift to 'home creation' as opposed to 'home making' where women (and men) of liberated means focus on their children, home and living space as a place to encourage creativity and security through the re-assessment and re-emergence of traiditional hand crafts. Might be sociological claptrap, but interesting nonetheless.

There have been more developments on the fertility front, but they deserve their own post and are still very much in a state of flux. Bah.