Lego

Lego has always been one of those toys that as a family we have always loved.  It is one of those toys that the whole family can get on the floor and play with.  As a child all I had was red and white bricks, then later blue and yellow.  Simple windows and doors and wheels.  When my children where growing up you could get an airport and police stations and for the girls beach houses and cafes. However you still had the instructions which would show you how to make 3-4 different  things with the same bricks, and you could make what you like.

You go into the Lego shops and you see recent films glorified for eternity in little plastic bricks.  I have posted  a Harry Potter he is what he is, you could use the bricks to make other things but Harry Potter looks like Harry Potter complete with scar,  same with Captain Jack. Star wars, pirates of the Caribbean, all immortalized in the little brick.  We love our Lego and really enjoy, yes making up the ships and trains, but please not to many specialized bricks, continue making a good variety of bricks, that help the creative juices in a child flow.  Making the item is just the first step, the child then plays with it firing their imagination creating all sorts of wonderful people having wonderful adventures.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28083135@
N06/6448751047/ 

Lego is not just about Harry, Captain Jack, Luke Sky Walker, and others, yes they play their part, but they all come from the imagination of others.  I went to Kensington, to the doll's house fair, in December and going through St Pancras International Station, I saw a Christmas tree at first, I thought oh a bit boring to symmetrical not how a Christmas tree should be at all, until I got close enough to see. what a wonderful sight stood in the middle of the concourse it was a beautiful Giant Christmas Tree made of lego, it was made of 600,000 lego bricks and stood between 10 and 12 metres high, depending on which paper you read.

I know that a lot of the children, not just the children that saw it went home and got out their Lego boxes and created all sorts of wonderful Christmas scenes and hopefully it was on the list of more than one child.  They couldn't buy a pack to make one but I bet more than one child tried, and that is what Lego is all about.   One of my son's helps in a beaver pack, and those ten minutes at the end of a meeting, while the children sit on their mats to await their parents, are the longest of the whole night.  Last year he went up in the loft and took away 2 boxes of Lego, now silence reigns for those ten minutes and all you can hear is the clatter of bricks and the murmuring of children.  The sad part is when he told me that some of his boys had never played with Lego before.  So go on get a box out of it's hiding place and no matter how old or how busy you are get playing, a bit of escapism is just what we all need, even if it is just for half an hour, I love it.

Tuesday 10/1/12

Today I went up the downs for a walk, I went with my husband Kevin, it was very blowy so we did not take the kites with us. We stayed for lunch which we really enjoyed the sun came out while we where eating unfortunately it went back in again when we where ready to come back down, although it was only 3pm it did look rather dramatic so I took a picture of it.

Last night as we put out Christmas decorations back into the loft we noticed how cluttered it was up there.  The children having flown the nest have left boxes of school books and bags of clothes that are packed ready for when they settle, and not forgetting loads of toys.  So we decided to make a start to reduce it.  Old college stuff of mine came to light, and Kevin has more than one box up there.  We have done one corner and feel quite proud, we still have the rest to do and it will properly take quite awhile but I am sure the bin men will be kept busy and the charity shops will like the toys, and clothes.  I will keep you posted if  anything exciting turns up.

Christmas Clean Up 6/1/12

Due to the appalling weather yesterday I  stayed hunkered down and played about with my blog I think I have it sussed.  I also managed to put some photo's on flickr quite old one's from the summer, as I don't want to put to many of the same up at one time.

Yesterday I  started the great Christmas Clean Up, I have taken down all the decorations although I didn't put that many up this year, and today I will pack it away, and put it where it belongs in the loft.  I say I didn't put many up, put I love the toy's you can get that sing, and this year I got a Christmas tree that sings "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree".

One problem I see looming is the sun coming through the window which at this time of year tends to tempt me to go for a walk up to Dunstable Downs, or even round town.  Which means my day will be shortened by 2 hours, and given that it is nearly 11am and I am still in bed with my laptop, (my favourite place may I add)  I will soon be running out of time, never mind.

I worked over Christmas and New Year so I am having a few days off now, so hopefully I can give my blog a good start as it could be a good few days between blogs once I am back at work.

Well it is all done and dusted the decorations are all down and packed

away.  The great clean up begins, sweeping the floors and cleaning

 a way the last of the remaining debris. 

 it's amazing where bits of tinsel and strands off the Christmas tree manage to lodge themselves.

Decorations all laid out ready to
 pack away for yet another year. 

The Christmas decorations are
all packed  away ready to go into the loft. 

Maureen's Magic Moments

This is for those magical moments that happen at any time any place some big some small.  From the 24th of December through to the 29th of December I had all my family around the only time for a few years we have all been together and it was wonderful.  After Christmas we went up Dunstable  Downs kite flying and then we went to watch a pantomine "Jack and the Beanstalk" and went for a Chinese meal afterwards.  This being a massive moment.