The Real Winner

I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I am back with a vengeance. Well, I was not lying. But it’s all so sunny here in England and it’s that time of the year when families go out for quality time and make the most of the sun. After that picnic gone different that we had last Monday, our family went to Alton Towers, a fantastic “playground” in Staffordshire (in the Midlands) where one can find some of the most intense riding experiences in the world: Oblivion, Air, Nemesis and Rita Queen of Speed. We were there for two days last week and boy, did we enjoy! That explains why I missed a few days of posting again.

the boys with the Gothic towers behind them (how’s that for a residence?)

Alton Towers actually refers to the ruins of an 18th century Gothic castle set in a magnificent estate surrounded by lush countryside and which boasts one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen (not that I have seen a lot of magnificent gardens). It used to be the residence of the Earls of Shrewsbury. A big entertainment and amusement company converted the estate into a world-class amusement park with exciting, thrilling, scary, insane rides and family facilities.

I must say, though, that I enjoyed the quiet, tranquil grounds of its gardens more than the amusement part of the park crowded with sweaty, excited and shrieking riders and thrill-seekers. It is in the gardens that I got to experience the real character and sense of history of the place. The gardens were restored to reflect its former glory. It was an awesome experience.

me with my boys in the gardens
with the Skyride gondolas atop the tall trees in the background

the look-alikes in a spot where we enjoyed stunning panoramic views of the gardens

I must be the most boring person that ever visited Alton Towers. I never went on a ride more intense than a five-year old can handle. As I’ve said, I appreciated the gardens more. It’s a good thing that we got our 1st day tickets for free from our Tesco vouchers (we always use Tesco vouchers, which we have a lot of) for most if not all of our days out. Then for our second day, we availed of their family promo package for two consecutive day-visitors. It was a good deal we got for which I am thankful because I did not actually make the most of the rides (nevertheless, I had fun!).

this was a sedate boat ride in the MacDonald farm part of Alton Towers –
for toddlers and grade schoolers, hehehe!

The hubby and the older boy are more of thrill-seekers than I am so they went for almost all the big guys’ rides except three of the most dreadful and intense ones – Oblivion, Rita Queen of Speed and Air. I was actually praying that they would not have the guts to try any of these but they went for one that’s almost as scary, the Nemesis. At least they survived, except for a few hours of being dizzy. I mean, it was pretty intense. Nevertheless, it is a very popular ride. They were in the queue for almost an hour and were in the Nemesis ride for not more than five minutes. Not that anyone would last longer than five minutes in that kind of intense speed being whizzed to and turned towards all directions and in every position imaginable. I feared for them so much that I left them and went on the Skyride with Elijah to another part of the park.

Aside from that, worry was farthest from my mind as we explored the whole park. Elijah had a blast – from the Runaway Mine Train Ride (which was so scary for me already) to merely playing in the trampoline. While I was screaming my lungs out during the Mine Train Ride, he was saying: “I am so loving this, yes!” That’s when I realized that my baby is totally gone and in his place is a boy who is not scared of a train ride that’s driving his mom insane already! His trampoline time was extended from five minutes to 15 minutes because the minder forgot all about him. When we could not wait for him to be done with it anymore, we approached the minder and that was when she realized Elijah had been there longer than he should. Bonus.

trampoline boy

Jonathan and the hubby also had fun – they were just like any two little boys who were given a chance to run loose in a kiddie-heaven kind of place.

in the queue for the Rapids Ride

in the Heave-ho ride (this boat was made to move like a mad bull in a Rodeo)

But the real winner was me. I did not cook and do any washing for two days, hehehe!

More of this experience in my next post. See you!

A Picnic Gone Different

It was a lovely day yesterday which was made even lovelier by the fact that it was spent with dear friends. As I mentioned in my previous post, we were going on a picnic in a farm where we could pick fresh vegetables and fruits. It was a holiday and everybody was on holiday mode and in a holiday mood. The children would get lots of sunshine and exercise and we adults, would be able to hang out and stuff ourselves.

My mother once said, “Man supposes but God disposes” and yesterday was a perfect illustration of this nugget of wisdom. Well, we were really going on a picnic. The pork and chicken were marinated already; drinks, rice, junk foods were all ready. The kids were bursting with excitement and money for the veggies we will be picking by the tons was on the ready. The husbands were willing (at least) to drive us there and we were all set.

We had a picnic alright but not in the farm but in the back garden of one of our friends. It was a long story made longer by the long-winded trip to that farm which was closed (it was still too early in the season), and the vain attempt at looking for an alternative spot where there was a BBQ pit as our food needed cooking!

It was nearing lunchtime then and we could not find any spot so we decided to do the next best thing – to go on as planned; spend time together, but in a spot closer to home, literally.

So a picnic we had and it was an awesome time.

the men: Melvin, Ronnie, Alan, my hubby and Will

When we got back to our friends’ house, we did not know that most of us were starving already. Even before the BBQ was lit, the children and the two pregnant ladies in the group were halfway through their instant meal already, made up of some left over breakfast food brought by one of our friends. I mean, they literally dove into and descended upon the few pieces of sausages, smoked fish and eggs that Asher wisely brought with her.

There were lots of smiles, laughter, lively banter and love.

my hubby couldn’t stop laughing for a pose

he held it long enough for me to take this shot

i was able to catch (always running around) and kiss little Angelina

The men went about the task of setting up the grill and I brought out the meat I was asked to marinate. By the time the grilling was halfway done, everybody was all set for their next meal.

there was as much fooling around done as there was grilling

After the meal, the men went out for basketball practice in a nearby park and we ladies and the smaller kids stayed put where we were, too stuffed to do anything else. We had a great time just doing what we do best – talking.

We do not get to spend this much time with one another. In this busy and fast-paced lives we live, we barely have time to reflect and ponder and connect with wonderful people. So yesterday, we did just that – made the most and loved every minute of it.

i only got to grill my fish after everybody else had their fill of chicken and pork BBQ
(i didn’t mind at all, though)

Moral of the story:

Make the most of every experience. The good things we have planned may not work out as we thought they would but better ones usually take their place. The good is the enemy of the best.

Focus on the essentials, not the trivials. In a picnic, it is not the location, not even the food. It’s the company that you have, and in our case, it was a bunch of interesting and wonderful people.

Last but not least, never ever assume that if the sun is out, farms are open to accommodate visitors.

Til next post, guys!

In Due Time

Hello! everyone. It’s been a while since I last posted here. I planned on moving to free-hosted Wordpress and so I started to make initial preparations. This resulted in a down time of the site. Prior to that, I just found it so hard to continue posting when I know that I want so much to renovate and re-invent this blog.

Due to some things beyond my control, I will have to postpone the move to WP for a while and so I am starting to post again regularly and just wait for the move to happen in due time.

I would be lying if I tell you now that I did not miss blogging. I did – a lot! So now, I am back with a vengeance.

First off, I must share with you guys, that we are enjoying a fantastically sunny Bank Holiday weekend here in Britain! Isn’t that wonderful, after a horrible winter?

Look at how much snow we saw last winter:

Elijah in their school grounds

My hunks when they went for a playtime in the snow

In fact, I forgot to blog about this “playtime in the snow” which they had as a bonding time. Perhaps I should do so sometime. It was fun so yes, we still had a lot of reasons to be thankful for winter.

But now, it’s sunny time so we are going to make the most of it as well. Tomorrow, we are going back to the farm we went to a few months ago which I posted about here. We will be with our churchmates so it’s gonna be a riot. I have just marinated the pork and chicken for the BBQ and I can’t wait, really.

Then, on Thursday, God willing, we are going to take the boys to Alton Towers, a destination they have been dying to go to. We are staying overnight in one of the nearby hotels so there will definitely be tons of riding to be done. They have been to Legoland (June 2008) and Chessington (August 2008) already, some photos from those two trips I have shared below, but Alton Towers will definitely be more memorable.

Jonathan in Legoland with the lego replica of the London Eye behind him

Also in Legoland

Father and son in Chessington with that dreadful ride behind them

We were in that dreadful ride which I posted about here

They have waited for a long time to go to Alton Towers, and just like any other good thing, it will happen in due time, and that time is now. Hmmmm, I wonder when this site’s renovation and relocation will finally happen? In due time, of course – I hope!

See you later, guys!

Educating my Boys Outside School

It was a cloudy but pleasant day on the 13th of April when we (the whole family and some friends) went to the Duxford Imperial War Museum in Cambridge. It was a bank holiday and the kids were still on their Easter break. It was a carefree day with lots of promise, and it did not disappoint.

On our way there, we were treated to magnificent English spring views. I just love the sights in this country so I have really moved on from merely loving their wit and special brand of humour.

It was a highly-educational trip for the boys and us, the adults as well. I marveled at the beauty of the airplanes (from wartime to more recent models) displayed in the museum. The precise engineering with which they were built, the care put into preserving them for posterity and even the benign and pleasant surroundings in which they are displayed belie the horrors they were able to inspire among enemy lines.



There were also other aircraft that were used for commercial purposes, foremost of which is the Concorde, the world’s only successful supersonic passenger plane jointly developed by Britain and France. It halved flying across the Atlantic but with just a quarter of the passengers of a Boeing 747.

The photo above is that of my hubby’s taken inside the Concorde. It looked a bit cramped but the passengers might not have minded it one bit because it took considerably shorter time for them to get to their destinations. It’s a shame, the Concorde is not commercially flown now.

And then, there was the American Air Museum in Britain where we saw some more models of aircraft built by the Americans.

This is me with my friend Dulce, a NICU Nurse who had come straight from night duty. How’s that for power and endurance? Her smile belies the fact that she hasn’t slept for almost 24 hours already.

Our favourite in the American Air Museum was the Lockheed SR71A nicknamed the Blackbird. It was the US Strategic Reconnaissance Aircraft in USAF service from 1968 (gosh! it’s older than me) to 1997. The Blackbird is the fastest and highest-flying manned jet aeroplane. As far as I know, it cannot be detected by radar.

This is my Jonathan and behind him is the Blackbird. He was just a little tot when he first read about this magnificent machine-beast and he had always wanted to see one. He was so excited when he saw this! The photo is poorly-shot as it was against the light but you can see the sleek profile of the aircraft which, I can imagine, must be very agile on air.

It’s nice when you have a photographer following your every move. My hubby likes taking stolen shots of people. Luckily he called our attention when he took this.

It was a great family day out with friends and the children.

And then there was also a lot of fooling around while there. This photo is a favourite activity of the hubby and his oldest son – taking photos of illusion:

I did not know that this little boy held something like this. He only told me about it later.

We also met a group of Filipino students who were here for a short visit as part of an exchange program. They were very friendly – the usual smile and sunny disposition.

The only thing missing in the day was an actual air show. Their next scheduled show will be in May. I hope that we can go back there for one of those spectacular aerial treats.

Of Music, Family, Faith and a New "Baby"

A few posts ago, I wrote about my hubby’s new “toy”, his Fender acoustic guitar here. Well, it was not exactly a post about the guitar, but it was mentioned there.

Anyway, here is a full shot of it:

We were enjoying this guitar in church and at home as we sing songs to the Lord. Over the past two months since the hubby bought it, I have also noticed a marked improvement in his skill in guitar playing, not to mention our level of appreciation of his playing and the songs he performs with it.

But then, another “baby” came along and is now the star of the show. This Fender electric guitar with its own hard case is US made and costs almost five times more than the acoustic one. Its beautiful, brand new – never used but he bought it as second-hand. The former owner needs to dispose it as he needs to pay downpayment for a new car. So, we got it at a much-discounted price.

We saw its value right away so much so that even if it was an unplanned purchase, we agreed to have it. It is a very good investment in the sense that our children will get to enjoy using it if and when they decide that they like making music with it.

Here is my hubby showing off his new “baby”. The guitar at the background sitting forlornly at the corner is his “carboot” purchase which was dirt cheap at $15. But then, it served its purpose for a while and we all have to move on from its pathetic sound that resembles a tin can being dragged on a concrete road, lol!

For now, it’s just the hubby who gets to use the electric guitar at home, though our churchmates have been alternating playing with it in church. When he starts practicing the songs he needs to play in church, the kids and I would sing along with him as we gather around him as a family.

The two boys are beginning to like the songs we sing for the Lord and it is a blessing to sing together to our God as a family. I am grateful for the faith we share, the music we have to offer to the Lord, and the privilege to sing to Him. Why, He even throws in a spectacular musical instrument into the lot, when He wants to!

Thank you Lord for music, family and yes, that expensive new “baby”.

C-H-A-N-G-E

Women are known to take it out on their hair when things are not going their way. I have had some episodes of hair-bashing myself. I sometimes end up having really short hair when I got into an LQ (lovers’ quarrel) of some sort back when I was single.

But as I grew more mature (wink!) I preferred growing my hair really long. I am blessed with thick, black (except for some gray nowadays) mane and so it is convenient to just grow it long and tie it most of the time. Here in the UK, there are a few who notice it and comment that I’ve got lovely hair (modesty aside). I like hearing those comments – it makes all the washing and drying and collecting hair on the carpet worth the while.

But then, they say that life is characterized by change; that the only permanent thing in this world is change. I agree. Well, except with my hair, that is. I planned to grow it as long as possible and then really keep it clean and healthy all the time for as long as I could. I used to imagine myself as the oriental woman with long black hair in this foreign land – I wanted that to be my identity.

But that was before I started seeing my thick black hare grow more gray at an alarming rate. Then I met a Filipina who is here on student visa. She goes to school in London and goes to work in care homes here in our town. She cuts hair on the side when she finds customers. She convinced me to have a hair cut that is more modern. I adamantly refused. I just wanted her to give my boys a haircut and shorten my hair for just an inch to cut off the dryness at the tips.

I like what she did with the boys’ hair. They looked all ready for the pictorial the following week.

When it was my turn to be given a few snips, this new friend started convincing me big time. She was on a hard sell stance. I did not expect her to have the confidence to promise me a better-looking haircut than the “traditional” cut that I had. She sounded so sure and confident, which eased away my apprehension. But then, I knew that she needed to have as many customers as she can find.

On the other hand, I believed her sincerity and that made me take my arms off my head, which I did not realize were covering my head as if to protect my hair from her scissors. To make a long argument short, I relented, and for the first time in my life, I am now sporting a shaggy cut.

The following week after that fateful Saturday, we were due for a family picture sitting in a photo studio down in Milton Keynes. It was what our haircut were all about. I will show you the finished product when we get the photos next month in a future post.

About Time

My hubby has started showing interest in cooking. First, he bought this fancy and quite expensive cookbook from Reader’s Digest. Well, his main objective then was to join their contest but he could not have bought it if he was not interested. He knows my aversion to cookbooks so he intended to buy it for himself. And he told me so himself, that he will start learning how to cook really well. Sadly, (or should that be “as expected”?), not one tasty dish on the pages of that cookbook has materialized on our dining table – YET.

Then, just to nudge him a bit nearer his goal of learning how to become a good cook, I bought him a much simpler, smaller and less expensive cookbook. I was hoping that this will give him the impetus to start learning.

And then, yesterday, as if struck by a lightning of inspiration, he offered to do lunch. I was ecstatic but I did not show it. I wanted him to proceed at his own pace and in his own time. Unfortunately, he chose a time to cook when I could not eat so I contended myself with just seeing him at work and enjoy his own handiwork with his boys.

Well, it was not much and it did not require elaborate and savvy moves in the kitchen. Just pan-seared salmon fillet in butter with nutmeg and salt, some chips (or french fries as we call it back home) and fresh veggies on the side.

But there was pride in his eyes and delight on the boys’ faces as they sat down to a Good Friday meatless lunch.

Dig in, guys!

Hmmmm, I can see a vision of myself sitting down while the hubby labours in the kitchen to serve me sumptuous vegetarian dishes. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Queen of Blog Awards

A kind-hearted frequent visitor in this blog passed this Queen of Blog Awards to me and though I am not sure why she thinks I should have it, I want to thank her from the bottom of my heart. Mommy Andrea of MomWriterMe, thank you so much for this one.

I now pass this on to deserving bloggers:

Jena Isle of Gewgaw Writings
EastCoastLife
Hawaiiana

The last two recipients are not known to me personally but I just think that they have the passion for blogging that I so lack right now and that they, together with Jena Isle (who maintians I think 10 blogs!) should be commended for their dedication to blogging.

HotMomma’s Courgette Sandwich

Vegetarians have got to be inventive and resourceful so as not to miss out on the fun food non-vegetarians enjoy all the time. Burgers and sandwiches are some of the foods I can’t enjoy anymore but somehow, I have thought of clever substitutes.

For burgers, I go for tuna patties and I love them so very much, especially if I drizzle them with hot sauce and have them with that all-important slice of cheese. Yum! I usually cook my tuna patties from the canned variety and mix chopped fresh basil for extra flavour. This should work well with fresh tuna, too as the basil helps reduce if not eliminate that fishy/tuna smell.

For sandwiches, I am usually limited to plain cheese sandwich, egg or sometimes, tuna spread. Now, I have come up with another veggie-sandwich which should delight you all as well – vegetarian or otherwise.

My courgette sandwich is quite versatile as it can be made sweet or salty (i mean, just enough of salt).

I slice cross-wise a medium-sized courgette into two. Then, I make thin slices length-wise. Laying them side by side on a plate, I pop them into the microwave for one minute on medium heat.

Then I put a small dollop of mayonnaise on a sliced bread and arrange the courgette slices side by side on top of the bread. Then I sprinkle a bit of salt. If I am making it for my husband and the kids, I also drizzle the bread with condensed milk plus the mayonnaise, then the courgette slices. If it’s for me, I sprinkle the courgette with chili powder and a little bit more salt just to increase its appeal to my taste buds.

On top of that goes the slice of cheese and then another piece of bread.

Try it today!

The Drink of the Gods

Image: from Google images

I call coffee the drink of the gods. Well, I don’t know for sure if there really is such a thing – a drink fit to satisfy heavenly standards. I don’t also know if there are multiple gods because as far as I am concerned, there is only one God and I don’t think He drinks coffee. But I still insist that coffee is the drink of the gods because I want to and because I am unreasonable sometimes.

Needless to say, I am a coffee addict. Its aroma awakens my senses all at the same time, including my bowels – if I smell it in the morning (is the bowel considered part of our senses?). I think I haven’t mentioned this addiction ever in this blog but that does not mean that it isn’t a big part of “me”. If I haven’t had coffee at all in a day, I feel cheated, betrayed, abused and let down. I cannot start writing unless caffeine is pumped in my circulatory system. If there is not enough to boost my thinking, I get some more and more. But usually, I limit myself to three mugs.

In keeping with my erratic and spontaneous personality, I am not limited by any convention or rule when it comes to drinking and enjoying my coffee. I drink it anytime of the day, even right before going to bed (and I still sleep soundly). If you are a coffee addict, too and are as adventurous as I am, try putting the following in your coffee (0ne at a time, ok?):

• cinnamon – it gives a very distinct, tantalizing aroma to the already heady scent of coffee
• Irish cream ( i.e., Bailey’s) – this gives your coffee a certain kick that jolts you out of that in-between world of the living and the dead
• muscovado sugar – if you do not like your coffee too sweet, try using minimal amount of muscovado. It requires less of it than refined sugar.
• honey – better than sugar is honey, it mellows the taste and is the perfect contrast to the strength of coffee
  

Whatever it is, black, brewed, instant, home-made or Starbucks-bought, enjoy your cup, everyone!