Remembrance Sunday Brownies Parade

Today Holly got to participate in her first Memorial Parade as a Brownie. Last years parades were obviously all cancelled due to the pandemic and trying to reduce the infection rate so that we could all have some sort of Xmas. Anyway Holly wore her poppy proudly and did her bit today.

And whilst Holly was doing that, Brandon's team also wore poppies today as they stormed to a 7-2 victory against Trinity who were second in the league. Our boys now move up in to second position and have a really good shot at winning the league this year.

Holly all ready for her memorial parade.

Off the Brownies go doing their March through Wickford.

Holly and her friend marching side by side.

The roads were all closed as the parade went down Runwell Rd.

All for a good cause. She said she had very tired legs afterwards.

Beauchamps School Pictures 2021

It is that time of year when you find a grubby piece of screwed up paper buried in the bottom of the boys school bags which they probably received weeks and weeks ago to tell you that their school photo's are ready for viewing. Of course it would be nice to be told about this first hand, but that's teenage boys for you. Anyway as they couldn't be bothered to tell us that their photo's were ready - I have downloaded them to share with the world!

Joshua's Year 9 School Photo.

And Brandon in Year 8 (having a bad hair day!).

Holly Starts Carousel Gymnastics Club

For the last term at school Holly has been doing a pre-school gymnastics club on a Thursday morning and has been enjoying it so much that she wanted to join a gymnastics club. I was really pleased to hear this as her dancing club folded during the pandemic and I have wanted her to get back in to something for a few months now. We knew that Basildon Sporting Village was out of the question as they have a wait list of several years. So we found Carousel Gymnastics just over Shotgate which is within walking distance to our house.

Holly had a taster session last week and came out of it absolutely buzzing. So we have bought her a couple of gymnastics leotards off of Amazon and then today she signed up and joined her first proper session. She is even asking if she can go out in our garage gym to practice some of her gymnastics.

Anyway here are a few pics of Holly outside gymnastics (no pictures allowed inside - but at least you can watch her). Also some pictures of Holly at Alton's Xmas display earlier today.

A Princess carriage befitting of my little Princess.

That's a big Santa.

Impressive Xmas displays as always.

Anyone seen Holly?

Holly's new hobby - gymnastics at Carousel in Shotgate.

All ready to perform in one of her new leotards.

When did she grow uo so quickly!!!!!!!!!

 

Bonoween 2021

After pretty much cancelling Bonoween 2020 due to Covid we were very pleased to be able to host in 2021 and resume usual Bonoween business. It was absolutely fabulous to have all the family together again to enjoy some freakish food and some Halloween antics and has left me feeling really excited about Boxing Day this year.

We were a bit lazy with our costumes this year and simply bought the set pf Squid Game masks. However it was really good to see others had made more of an effort. I think we all agreed the winning fancy dress this year was Nicky's frog costume.

As to the recipes, well my pumpkin cheesecake suffered a bit of a bake-off moment. As the metal tin was lifted the cheese filling wasn't quite set and started to rapidly spread sideways. I was so disappointed as I have made many cheesecakes and never had this happen - I can only put it down to the moisture in the pumpkin. The taste was still very good, it just looked a mess. So that opened the door for Nicky to swoop in again and win the recipe competition with a rather nice cheese fondant served in an open pumpkin with some nice fresh bread.

Then last but not least I was lazy yet again with a boring and predictable Squid Game logo pumpkin carving which was resound idly beaten by Amy's ghost carving. Anyway the evening was a real blast with a few silly games, lots of food and some sparklers as well.

This should have won the recipe comp - however we bought it from Cadbury World and didn't make it.

Loads of freakish food ready for the family to arrive.

Nicky's winning frog costume.

Amy's gory face paint which left Rory a bit confused.

Shay had the purge mask which is what I wanted to get for me and the boys.

Michael was Coco, although I thought it was more Cobra-kai.

Min, Lea and Holly.

Scary bride Holly.

Rory as Captain America.

Holly teaching Rory how to play some games.

Amy and Shay going at it on the curling game.

Nicky preparing her cheese fondont.

The winning recipe for 2021.

The Bake-Off moment when my cheese cake fails!

From left to right, Holly's, Joshua's, Brandon's, mine and the Amy's pumpkin carvings.

David enjoying some sparkler fun.

Holly loved the sparklers.

Your never too old for a sparkler.

Lisa playing with sparklers (keeping her mask on as she wasn't feeling well).

Auntie Lea and Matt.

It was as much as I could do to keep up with lighting the sparklers for everyone. As fast as I got one lit, someone's ran out.

But I got a little go on the very last sprkler.

Amy and Shay.

More of Holly.

Brandon made it out of the house for a sparkler or two (not sure Josh bothered).

Yes David was wearing a Xmas jumper!!!!!!!!

And to finish, here is our Bonoween 2021 family picture.

Trick or Treat 2021

This years Halloween has been a bit of an anticlimax so far. Because we was away last weekend we missed out on going pumpkin picking as everywhere was closed. Luckily we got a few at Tesco's, but to be honest the boys really weren't interested in doing them. So me and Holly carved one out, Josh sort of started but never finished, and Brandon did his about a day later.

Tina has been entertaining Holly with some Halloween activities which has included making some delicious ginger bread cookies and some rather snazzy pumpkin earrings made from loom bands.

When it came to trick or treating this was the first year that the boys have not wanted to go out. So this year it was just me and Holly out walking the streets, collecting Candy and looking at the Halloween decorations. There was certainly a lot of Squid Game costumes out and about which makes my "Squid Game" pumpkin look really predictable. Anyway me and H had fun trick or treating and she managed to fill a whole bucket full of sweets.

Holly was keen to make her own pumpkin carving this year.

She did the entire design and cutting all by herself.

Joshua came and briefly joined us, but his pumpkin still isn't finished even today!

They grow up so quickly, how long before this one doesn't want to carve pumpkins as well?

My effort for 2021 was the predictable"Squid Games".

This is Holly's pumpkin all lit up.

And the other side of Holly's.

Some delicious Halloween cookies that Holly decorated.

She is certainly getting good at her arts and crafts as they look amazing.

Tina helped Holly make these loom band pumpkin earrings. Very creative.

Out trick or treating with H and she got her fortune told at a spooky fortune teller booth.

This house just around the corner from us really goes to town every year with their Halloween decs.

The spoils of a good nights trick or treating.

So the boys didn't want to go trick or treating, but they certainly wanted a part of Holly's sweet haul when they saw what she had.