7 Quick Takes

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1. The kitchen is finished. The carpet is finished. The workmen are - almost - gone. Unfortunately the (new) dishwasher has developed a fault, and a repair man should be turning up this afternoon.

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2. Star has gone camping on the Isle of Wight for a week with her school. Serious, old-fashioned camping, with army issue canvas ridge tents, daily tent inspections and work details. The school has been running this trip for many years and it has a reputation for being both well organised and lots of fun.

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3. I used up all the raspberries from our pick-your-own trip by making raspberry trifle and this raspberry-buttermilk cake (thank you for the link, Jennifer). For some reason the raspberries all sank into a mush at the bottom of the cake, but it tasted yummy. The rest got eaten with cream either in meringues or neat.

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4. We are only a week into the school summer holidays and already I'm trying to get things organised for next term. We will be away for two weeks and the girls go back to school on September 3rd, which means we have three weeks left to replace all the various bits of outgrown or worn out uniform, PE kit and shoes. Angel has grown and needs new everything. Even her feet have grown after staying the same size of nearly three years.

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5. Angel and several dance school friends are planning a "pointe shoe sleepover" next week. They all have to take pointe shoes and contributions for a picnic supper. I'm not sure whether they are planning an impromptu ballet or just a photo opportunity!

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6. Eek! I just realised I need to add pointe shoes to the shopping list for next term. That means an hour's drive to a specialist dance shop. And a hefty price tag.

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7. Cherub continues to be cuteness personified, albeit occasionally loud and stroppy cuteness. Her current favourite listening for the car is what she calls "The Tale of Jemerly Fisher".

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You can find more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary