Easter 2015: Fun and Faith

Remember Easter? Once you get back into the regular routine, it quickly seems like a long time ago. Just in case you need a reminder, here's a quick recap of what we got up to this Easter holidays. Toby was keen to write down what we were going to do on the whiteboard, like we did last summer. His writing has improved so much!

Easter Holidays. Tesco, biscuits, boat, Maisie and Poppy [friends]

The weather was variable, to put it mildly:
We floated paper boats in a puddle in the pouring rain.

I learnt how to fold a paper boat!

We made bunting (which was originally going to be flags to fly outside) on a day when it was too windy even to fly a kite.

Not a great picture, I know. It was an old burp cloth, decorated in pen.

We planted pansies on a lovely warm sunny day. Theo helped so enthusiastically that he had to be bathed afterwards!

On a more Easter-y note:
We invited the girls next door round to help cut out, bake and decorate Easter cookies.

We sent Toby on two egg hunts - a teddy-bears'-picnic-themed one at Sudbury Hall, and a flower-themed one at Carsington Water. Don't worry, both finished with a chocolate prize!

We made giant egg decorations for the mantlepiece.

We baked an Easter cake with chocolate nest topping and plenty of mini eggs!

And just in case that all sounds a bit too pagan:

We read Haffertee's First Easter, in which Haffertee, a toy hamster, learns all about Mr Jesus King.

We went to a Good Friday service where Toby enthusiastically flicked red paint at a painting of a cross, Theo played with green balloons, Graham reflected on Jesus' final words and I ripped a piece of cloth in two to remember the tearing of the Temple curtain. Our church had done an amazing job of creating different experiences relating to aspects of the Easter story.

That's actually Lichfield Cathedral, but it kind of sums up the experience!

We ate hot cross buns for breakfast.

We sang our hearts out on Easter Sunday!

Comments

The Churnet Way: a wonderful walk

The loop from Oakamoor to Froghall and back was one of the most enjoyable walks I've done in a long time. It had a bit of everything: woods, ponds, rivers and railways; steep climbs and sweeping views; an unusual church, an ex-industrial wharf, and, as a final bonus, car parks with toilets. Of course, the sunny weather helped too. I parked in Oakamoor and set off along a quiet lane called Stoney Dale. This is the route of the Churnet Way, which deviates away from the river for a couple of miles. After a while I turned right and climbed up through the woods on a gravelly path, then dropped down to the B5417. a spring in Oakamoor Crossing the road, I entered Hawksmoor Nature Reserve. It has some fine gateposts commemorating John Richard Beech Masefield, "a great naturalist". I found a photo of the opening of the gateway in 1933; unsurprisingly, the trees have grown a lot since then! A track took me down through the woods to East Wall Farm. Lovely view! Nice duck pond as ...

Greece is the word! Part 1: Athens

The last few times we have been on holiday, my family has asked, "Mum, are you going to blog about this one?" It's felt like an overwhelming task. For a start, we now have FOUR phones with photos on, rather than one digital camera. Also, I regularly write quite long blog posts about three-hour walks. How on earth will I summarise a full week's holiday? But this time, I thought I should try. It's one of the most enjoyable holidays we've had in a while, and I've definitely done too many Peak District posts recently. Everyone needs a change of scenery. So here we go, jetting off to Athens. Day 1 We landed at Athens airport in a looming thunderstorm, but the worst of the rain held off until we'd made it safely to our apartment. Graham had earmarked a nice little restaurant called Lolos for dinner - eating shell-on prawns in tomato sauce was a deliciously messy experience - and we went to bed early after our 3am start. Day 2 Next day we climbed Philopappos ...

Derwent Valley: Belper and Duffield

I'm getting into familiar territory with this walk. Duffield is one of the closest places that I can easily drive to and climb a hill, so I've done lots of walking around here. It's surprising how many new places I still see, though. Temperature: warm. Likelihood of being attacked by hordes of nettles: low. I decide to wear shorts. It's a good choice. The paths are well-trodden, and the sun is bright, though there's a pleasant breeze. There's plenty of free parking by Duffield church, so I drive there and walk across a field to the main road. Veering left up King Street, there is lots to see: the Methodist church, a butchers, and a penny-farthing gate. At the cemetery, I turn right and pick up a path towards the golf course. I'm heading towards the Chevin Hills here, which are the absolute lower reaches of the Pennine range. The ancient trackway along the ridge of the hills is another favourite walk. But today I'm just going straight down the other side ...

Martha's Marvellous Munchies

Search This Blog