Bonfire Night

The weekend after Halloween, we went up to our friend's house about an hour north of where we live. We slept over on Friday night and had a big bonfire party on Saturday night. The men started early in the day on Saturday building the great pile of dried branches, wood and rubbish for the bonfire. Something about building enormous fires gets men really excited. Even Charles was over piling up branches and strutting around being masculine. Charles needs these opportunities though because after all, he is stuck in a house of FOUR girls! Go be manly Charles, build your little fire, you big, burly man you!

The men pondering the best way to pile the rubbish in with the branches...It was a team "thinking" effort...

Sammy and Abby loved to watch.

More manly fire building...meanwhile the ladies were in the kitchen turning out loads and loads of food (not me mind you I was learning the art of fire building). My friend is Vietnamese and her entire large family came which includes many women who just take over the kitchen making spring rolls, Vietnamese stews, fresh prawn crackers, and all sorts of other stuff that I am not sure of the name, but boy could I ever indulge in the deliciousness! These women never stopped, they just kept cooking all day and night and we all just kept eating between fire building of course...I got no pictures of the food...too bad!

There were tons of lanterns hung throughout the apple orchard, which made it all feel kind of magical. 

Sammy excited for the festivities..

The bonfire was a success! It was huge! The men folk were proud!

Here is the Guy Fawkes effigy getting ready to be thrown in the fire...

Accccckkkk! His head has exploded!

Abby keepin' it cool but toasty.

We also let off so many fireworks, I almost got tired of them. But it never stopped being exciting for Alex. She got to do so many sparklers and loved every minute...

More Spookiness...

Here is another post from the week of Halloween. The girls had the whole week off school for half term so one of the days some friends of ours came over and we did an entire day of Halloween crafts and treats. The girls had fun dressing up too. 

The girls made ghosts and spiders in a big web across our dining room. I guess I never took a picture of them all hanging up but it was cute and very spooky!

Alex and her ghostie!

We made cake pops with spooky words written on them and several we decorated to look like a witch's cauldron but somehow I didn't get pictures of those.

We also made chocolate rats.

And of course, Halloween shaped sugar cookies...

No one could eat more than one cake pop because they were so sweet and too rich. I felt sick after the day was over from all the sugar but it was fun and I think we made the most of our Halloween.

Alfonso Cuarón's "IKEA" - Official Trailer

4 YEARS OLD...

I am quite late posting this. Alex turned 4 at the end of September. We had a few of her friends over with their mums for lunch and a play. It was lots of fun! Alex gave the festivities a thumbs-up!

Here they are eating their lunch together.

A Peppa Pig cake was the highlight of the party. Every child gasped in "aaah" of Peppa and her little brother George on the cake. They almost did not want to eat it.

Alex ate Peppa's head. I am not sure how she felt about that...

After lunch they all played on the trampoline, rode bikes and scooters in the front of the house and followed each other around. The mums all sat in chairs outside enjoying the sun and a chat. I served fish cakes and salad for the mums while the kids got chicken nuggets and fruit salad. It was a perfect day!

Katie, Sophia, George, Alex and Isla (missing Noah).

Another thumbs-up!

So happy with her new Doc McStuffins doll

Woo hoo! Birthdays are so fun! I can't believe she is 4 and will start big school (reception as they call it here, the equivalent of kindergarten) next September! Time sure does fly. I almost forget she was my little cast baby who couldn't move and was so heavy to lug around and now all grow'd up! 

A mish-mash of events

Here is Abby in her costume for World War II Day at school. She is a WWII Evacuee girl. She was going to be the same thing for Halloween until she got a beautiful Catherine of Aragon dress (see below) . She had a lovely WWII day though complete with ration books to buy sweets and extra strict discipline like they would have had in school back then. If you did something wrong, you were made to stand in the corner or get your hands slapped with a ruler.  Hopefully she was extra good...

Abby was posing so of course Alex grabbed the nearest things she could find and posed too.

We went on a lovely walk to see the fall leaves at Devil's Dike. It was nice to take Daddy since last time the girls and I went, it was so dark and quiet we got scared and decided to leave.

Here is Halloween. Abby is Catherine of Aragon, Sammy is a ballerina, Alex is an angel who can't find her halo and refuses to wear her wings and Kendra was a friend who joined in on the fun.

Trick or Treat

 

 

More Bad News From Syria

• Here is a series of emails from my friend Areen, still stuck in Damascus, still suffering beyond anything I can imagine. Her husband is still in Egypt where he fled to get out of military service, so she is all alone and frightened trying to take care of her two young sons. I wish more than anything I could help her somehow but it is illegal for Americans to send money to Syria right now with all the sanctions. All I can do is pray that she will be safe and have the strength to continue on...
  
  Areen Alali

  Hello How are you doing We're fine until today In the last week, things were Kudsia (area or neighborhood) near our house very bad
  Were violent clashes between factions of the opposition Free families from the army fought each other It was a terrifying night for me and the kids Before yesterday, a mortar shell landed near the kids school near the Iraqi embassy area Maliki School and broken windows and burned car The shell near the Chinese Embassy which is close to the school

  
   10/2, 12:32am Areen Alali
  The situation in Syria is nothing more than genocide Extermination of the people By all parties Salafis Daash and Nusrat Islam and the army free and regular army All kill We see death everywhere

  We've become afraid of everything all the other accused of blasphemy and treason We victim of stupidity opposition and subtle system Who could make the opposition Fighting itself

  I love you too Greetings to you from my kids When I need something I have God And you

  مع السلامة
• October 2
• 

  10/2, 9:40pm

  Joyce Stuart Farnsworth

  I know I was reading about the numbers of dead just the other day. I can not believe how many people who have now been killed. It is terrible. Will it ever end? I dreamed about Syria again last night. I am always thinking of you Areen. I always wear a ring on my right hand that I bought in Damascus so I will not forget about you and Syria. It is always with me. You are always in my thoughts and prayers. Be strong for your children. They need you.
• October 11
• 

  10/11, 12:06pm

  Areen Alali

  Hello dear Joyce How are you and how children I hope that's okay I am very sick I went to the doctor (There are no doctors in Syria, mostly traveled out of the country) The doctor said I need to work fast surgeons I have a tumor in the uterus This causes severe bleeding during menstruation And must quickly lumpectomy But the physical conditions is currently not hear me Because of health insurance in the bank canceled since the beginning of the crisis in Syria Operation cost more than
  $1000 I was waiting for the return of health insurance, but the government did not return pray God to protect me for my children
  سلام
• October 15
• 

  10/15, 10:54am

  Areen Alali

  Dear Joyce We spent a terrifying night flight was restless The shelling did not stop So far We were not allowed to leave the Kudsia (neighborhood or area) because the army closed all entrances to Damascus The Eid al-Adha festival sad There is no joy or pleasure At all events happy eid adha
• October 18
• 

  10/18, 2:50pm

  Areen Alali

  We did not celebrate the holiday Because the electricity remained cut off for long periods of time And water as well as I'm tired lot and sick and finally found a doctor and said to be of surgery So I decided to do a wound

  i decided to do the surgery
• October 21
• 

  10/21, 12:13pm

  Areen Alali

  Backtracked on the decision of the surgical procedure, because the amount of money is not enough for surgeons I am very tired So I lost part of my income because of the majd (her husband) travel He had a loan installments Become of my salary paid This did nothing left to live in. I'm unhappy not because of lack of money but because of my fear on my kids I hope that you can help me And I promise you that I will seek to pay off all the amount I receive when conditions improve
• 

  10/27, 11:53am

  Areen Alali

  We are from fifteen days trapped in Kudsia we could not exit and entry And are not allowed to enter the food and bread No gas or diesel None Transportation I went outto day because the children have exams through the houses of the Republican Guard after recording my car and my name and my identity The way it took two hours and it does not exceed the 10 kilometer The situation is tragic We do not know when it ends Become piles of garbage and flies spread
• 

  10/27, 11:55am

  Areen Alali

  I forgot the pain and illness due Trov we are going through Pray for us
• Wednesday
• 

  10/30, 9:39am

  Areen Alali

  Dear Joyce I'm tired tired My heart and spiritual fatigue weakened I was unable to secure my children I hope you help if you can send a sum of money to the glory which will send it to me I do not have shelter or aid, only you The Kudsia trapping far Possible that bombing this week The system has closed all the roads with sand bags and put the army On the other hand, the opposition refuses to surrender I'm sorry to ask for money But you are my friend and only offered assistance Even the glory has no money is in a very bad situation, a patient with anemia because he does not eat well and sad and lonely I am of the Syrian people oppressed and unhappy people Thank you in advance for your help
  *****************************************************
  
  
  I dream that I am in Syria several times a week. I wish more than anything I could help my friend Areen.  I am so sad to hear how much she is suffering not only from war but now from some physical ailment. I cannot imagine the pressure of looking after two young sons in such a situation with no husband around for help and support. How she is feeding herself and her sons, I do not know. I am not even sure if she is still in her house in Damascus now. I feel so helpless and sad for her. Joyce