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Pumpkins, Halloween and Bonfire night
Pumpkins and Halloween
Last Friday we purchased two pumpkins from Morrisons. The children wanted to carve them, I thought this would be a good activity to do together. I was also looking forward to Pumpkin pie.
We don’t do trick or treat, for Halloween, I feel nervous about knocking on peoples doors asking for treats. I hate it when children appear here for treats. A few years back I lost a ‘Toblerone’ to Trick or Treaters’ as I was scared of being tricked. The supermarket has a special ‘Halloween’ aisle and I have been trying to avoid it.
So, on Saturday the children scraped out the pumpkins while I fought with the shortcrust pastry. I remembered as I read the recipe that I normally buy the pastry. After battling with it though I did manage to make it, successfully.
The children ignored my cries of ‘wait for me to help’. These were created 100% (apart from cutting the top off) by my six and eight year old. I am very impressed and relieved that there were no nasty accidents.

I managed to boil the pumpkin, cook the pastry and then have it all cooking nicely until we had a power cut. The top oven stayed on, thankfully we have a gas cooker, somehow the bottom oven went off. This meant that the pie had to come out to make room for dinner to go in. A badly timed power cut but the pie did get baked eventually.
The above photos were taken during the power cut.

I finished eating the pie today. It was hard work preparing it but it tastes great warm, especially with ice cream.

Guy Fawkes and bonfire night
We don’t really celebrate Halloween on October 31st, but we do enjoy Bonfire night, and fireworks. November 5th, remembering ‘Guy Fawkes’ and the Gunpowder plot. This year we are looking forward to watching fireworks with family. We always come home stinking of bonfire but we always enjoy it. Its strange how a plot, all those years ago, to blow up the houses of parliament, is now remembered with burning a ‘guy’ and setting off fireworks. A tradition written in the history books of a man caught with the explosives, rather then the group of people who actually thought up the idea.
For another Halloween related post please see Visit to Thorp Perrow Arboretum Yorkshire – 26th October 2017
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The School holiday is almost over
School holidays
Why is it that despite the school holiday being stressful that I’m feeling sad that it is Friday? It is amazing that we all have such a great love for our children that we seem to take everything from them and still want to spend time with them.
If my friends treated me like my children do sometimes then I am not sure that we would still be friends. Though an adult is unlikely to play hide and seek in a ‘Currys Store.’
My two have just walked into the kitchen saying ‘mummy I’m hungry, I want food now’. If an adult, this might be met with ‘get it yourself’. With my children we can have an argument about their manners or have shreddies and milk across the kitchen. Two independent children, happy to help themselves and even happier to make a mess.

So, what have we achieved this school holiday? Monday was telephone calls and two visits to ‘Currys PC world’. Both children took off their shoes and vanished in the shop. I could hear them shouting but I could not see them. Have you ever had a similar experience?
‘Time Table Rockstars’
Tuesday was more relaxing, and daddy was at home. A day at home with daddy usually means that very little gets done. However, we have achieved practice on ‘Time Table Rockstars’. On his school account his total is now 125000 total coins. On the family account he now has 31000 total coins. I set up my account along with his and I only have about 6000 coins so his is an impressive result. Good work for a school holiday.

My eight-year olds rapid recall of his tables is something that I struggle with. I do know my tables, but I have to think about the answer or use my fingers. My son is very quick, sometimes responding within two seconds and often getting it correct.
Competing with others playing it around the world, I am amazed how quick some children / or people are at it. We had a session a few days ago where I got twenty-six answers, my son twenty-five and the leader ninety-nine. They were answering in less than a second.
I can remember learning my time-tables, I found it hard. My dad wrote them all out for me and I still struggled to remember them. I have realised that my six year old has not learnt her two times table yet, so I have written her an answer sheet. She is now getting more correct and enjoying it more.
Visit to the town and library
On Wednesday, we finally got out of the house and walked into the town. A visit to the library had my daughter creating an ‘Alicorn’ holding a pizza, with the help of the library staff. Apparently an Alicorn is a Unicorn without a horn, however looking at hers, it does appear to have one. She then created some animation with it.

My daughter also chose a new book to read. I’m not sure if she will actually read it as it looks a bit hard, but the want to read it is there at least. (Please note, anything purchased through my blog, will earn me some commission which will help pay for this blog. Please also note, that you can support me with anything you purchase from Amazon as long as you use my link, thank you)

A trip to the town also meant Chips and a run in the park. Walking home the children wanted to visit the pet shop. We were warned to not put fingers in the hamsters cage. My six year old put her fingers in and stroked it. She was consequently bitten, she was fine, and the pet store owner put a plaster on it. The hamster has now been moved to a higher shelf.
We all arrived home exhausted and a little wet as it rained. However, we had had a good day, and the hamster bite was soon forgotten.
Thursday
Yesterday, Thursday, was another wet day, spent indoors, and more ‘Time Table Rockstars.’ Right now anyone who walks in my house will know its school holidays. The children and their toys and stuff have taken over the front room and I’m too tired to do anything about it. I’m sure you know this feeling, other things take precedence and as long as they are safe and happy the mess is okay for now.
My daughter managed to do some fine art work on my son’s bedroom wall yesterday afternoon, (typical for school holiday). I have washed it off now, but you can still see her handprints and some of the blue painlt has now come off to show yellow paint underneath. We think this was created with foundation or tanning moisturiser, possibly found in the bathroom cabinet. Yes, the mum stress continues, I wasn’t sure whether to scream, laugh or cry. At least she is creative, just a shame about our walls. She will not keep her creativity to pen and paper, it is everywhere.

Today
Today, Friday, I’ve told my eight year old that we need to look at his homework. I’ve told him that instead of playing Roblox he could ask ‘Google’ about York. Yes, the school holiday is almost over.

So, now I am going to disturb my son from ‘Roblox and do some research with him. As you can see we have done ‘TT Rockstars’, he tells me he has forgotten his password for ‘Spellzone’. I will be asking about this on Monday as I hadn’t heard of it before. I’m suspecting that this is because he is good at his Maths but finds spelling a little harder or less enjoyable. I know if I find something hard then I am not keen on doing it.
I’m hoping my daughter can write about her holiday whilst we are researching. We still have their school reading books to read as well. I don’t want a stressful Sunday afternoon where we still have to complete it all.
Anyway, I’m now going to boil the kettle again for more tea and then disturb the party in the front room. They are listening to ‘Alexa’ singing ‘George Ezra’ and playing on their gadgets. Yes, time to make myself, once more unpopular. Yes, the school holiday is unfortunately almost over.
For more see, 7 ideas for school holiday and our dramas
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Am I a clone? my dad, genius or maniac?
My life will never be the same
It had been one of those days, those days where everything had gone wrong. It wasn’t even Monday, no it was a strange fate filled Thursday. A day when something unexpected happened. Before today, a Clone was someone in my Science Fiction books, and now my life has changed forever.
My name is Taylor and until an hour ago, I thought that I was a normal child, with no brothers or sisters. My parents divorced when I was born and I live with mum, I rarely see my dad. She tells me that he is a waster, and to forget him and concentrate on my school-work.
Mum seems to have a thing for losers, I’ve never liked my step-dad Greg, in my mind he is rude and lazy. Greg works as a Customer Service Advisor for some big corporation, its not a job I would want, but it suits him fine. He spends his day, sat on the phone chatting, that might even be how he met mum. Mum is always complaining about things, she is quite the expert. We have had vouchers for all sorts of things due to her moaning.
My dad
From researching the Internet, my dad is a scientist, he works in a laboratory a few miles away. Mum has warned me against visiting him, saying he would be angry if I turned up. She might be right, but I also have my mum’s stubbornness and I can moan too.
This was the day, I had phoned in sick for school, pretending to be my mum. One day wouldn’t matter, I was going to do this. I started on my journey, various buses and a tube train. The trip had been hideous, and I’m not a patient person. To many people chatting on phones or playing mindless games.
As I got off the tube train, I now felt sick. I’m fifteen now, I can’t remember when I last saw my dad. Walking along the street, I tried not to dwell on the facts, or how angry mum might be when she finds out. He was my dad after all, and I wanted to see him. To add to my distress, it now started to rain, you can always trust the British Weather to make things that bit harder.
Reaching his building, I could see the big sign ‘Williams Enterprises’. I now inhaled a deep breath and walked into the reception area.
A shock meeting
It was now that I wanted the world to swallow me whole, it was now I realised why mum had forbade me from visiting him. Maybe also why all these years, he hadn’t visited me. There at the reception desk was a young girl, her hair was tied back in a pony-tail. Mine today was loose and hanging down.
We stared at each other, we were identical, she even had the same birthmark on her forehead. This was impossible, then it hit me. Dad is a scientist, I thought of ‘Dolly the sheep’, but who here was the original and who is the clone. Am I a real human? Or am I a clone? Does mum know about us? And did dad switch us?. Did dad leave mum the clone copy one day? Meaning he left me, the clone behind, knowing that he had the original.
The young girls badge read ‘Tamzin Williams’, stunned, I said,
“Err hello, err not sure what to say, but hi.” She was shocked too and said to her colleague.
“Rich, could you take over here, I have a problem to sort with my client here.” He nodded and walked over. Seeing us together he said,
“Wow Tamzin, didn’t know you had a hot sister.”
“No neither did I,” she answered coldly.Climbing stairs
“Come on, we need to find dad, he has some explaining to do.” She started to walk towards the stairs, and I followed. I was grateful for this, lifts terrify me, and then it occurred to me.
“Tamzin, are you scared of lifts?”
“Yes, id rather walk up thirty flights of stairs then get the lift.”
“Yes, me to, I’m Taylor.”
“Taylor and Tamzin, dad really thought this one through, didn’t he?”
“So, does mum know about you?”
“I’ve always thought she did, surely she gave birth to me, Dad won’t talk about her.”
“Hmm, did ‘Dolly the sheep’ give birth?” I asked. Tamzin then stopped walking,The radical Feminist
“My god, you are thinking cloneing aren’t you?”
“Yes, well he is a scientist.”
“So, was one of us born in a tank?” The radical Feminists loved that idea.
“Yes, they did, ‘Shulamith Firestone’ especially, but I don’t think her theories included cloneing.” I said,Have you read ‘The Dialetic of Sex’? have you have studied it?”
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“Yes, Tamzin, I have skipped through it at the library. I didn’t understand much, but her name is one that sticks in my head.”
“Me to, it’s a hard read, I looked at it as I am doing Sociology GCSE.”
“Oh Taylor, so am I.” She stopped on the stairs now and looked at me.Is one of us a clone?
“Do you really think one of us is a clone? We could be identical twins, I’ve always wanted a sister, Taylor, I never imagined that I could be a clone.”
“I hope you are right, twins is far better then a clone, this is all too strange. I skipped off school today to be here, I phoned pretending to be mum. How come are you here?”“I often help out when I get a free period. Dad often struggles with staff and I am reliable and appreciate the money, right here we are.” I estimated that we had climbed at least six flights of stairs, this was a big building and my legs now hurt,
“Okay, here we go.” Tamzin, took her Identity badge from around her neck and scanned it on the door entrance. The door now opened and she took my hand. I think she was now as nervous as me, we needed answers, we knew this would change us forever.
Meeting dad
Walking in a tall man, looked around and said, “Hi Tamzin what…” he saw me and stopped and his jaw dropped, he now sat back in his chair.
“Taylor, err how nice to see you?”
“Err yes, hi, so dad, err, what is happening here? Twins or a clone? And does mum know?My birth dad just sat there and now started stammering. We knew his answer, twins would have been to simple.
After a few minutes silence he started to cry and said,
“Taylor, when you were born, your mum would not let me see you, so I stole some hair and then grew my own baby, Tamzin, I even copied your birthmark on your forehead, I’m so sorry.”
The three of us sat in silence, the distress on Tamzin’s face was evident. How could you copy a birthmark? And cloning a human baby, was this man a genius or a complete maniac? We sat staring at each other. Where do we go from here? So many unanswered questions, this was going to be a tricky road now and is cloneing human babies ethical? And did mum know? This was all just too much, I came to find my dad, but this was incredible. My Science Fiction books had just become Science Fact!
Written for Blog battle – Clone
For more see, A hot climate a government shield – For Blog battle – Shield






