a very relaxing halloween...

I have been made redundant from Halloween. My Trick or Treat-ing services are no longer required. The youngest is going with his mates. So for the first time in like forever I am available to answer the door and chuck sweets at other people's kids.
I've got the wine in. For myself. Not for the kids.
I've just fed Alf and his mates - half of whom turned out to be of the female variety. (Girls! Actual GIRLS hanging out at our house!) They are now all getting dressed-up ready to depart. They are VERY loud. And VERY ridiculous.
In addition to that I have already answered the door 11 times after being alerted by the dog who goes absolutely bloody mental as soon as anyone steps foot on our drive. I have to pick her up in one hand, to stop her running off and scaring small children, whilst opening the door and handing out sweets with the other. 
Happy Halloween indeed.
Pass me that wine!

more letters

I keep forgetting to put these on here.... instagram is just easier and quicker and I forget about the poor old blog. Anyway...nearly at the end now. Just got those tricky ones left that no woodland words begin with. 
So this could be the actual end.
An abrupt ending.... 

mac and moon

Exciting news!
For the last couple of years Sally Payne and I have been working in collaboration with Kanopy Baby Inc. in Atlanta to create our own babywear ranges....and they're now available in the UK as well as the USA!
Mine go under the label "Mac and Moon" and you can snap up a selection of them online here from George at Asda now.
It's all very exciting :)
If you're in the USA you can get them in loads of places....including Amazon and BuyBuyBaby
So what are you waiting for...go buy them now. For your baby. Or your friend's baby. Or your neighbour's baby. Or any random baby you meet. They will thank you for it. Later in life. When they can talk and everything.

NOT Lauren Child...

When the eldest was little I bought her ALL the Lauren Child books. I made her watch back to back Charlie and Lola on repeat. I bought her Charlie and Lola pencil tins and notebooks and stickers and rulers. Every week I made her “choose” the Charlie and Lola magazine from Borders instead of the pink sparkly pony one she often had her eye on. 

I was freelancing on babywear and nursery designs at the time. But I decided then and there that I actually wanted to BE Lauren Child. 

Fast forward 15 years and yesterday I actually met her. She was doing a talk at Newcastle University so I hopped on a train to the furtherupnorth to go see her. 

She was AWESOME. She was funny and interesting and eloquent and inspiring. 

And just when I could not love her any more she said she avoids using purple in her illustrations wherever possible. She actually said that! Like me! SAME. I bloody hate purple! I avoid it wherever possible in my illustrations! 'I am almost Lauren Child' I thought.

But that’s where the similarities ended I’m afraid. 

I now realise that I will never be Lauren Child.

I met up with my ex-niece whist in the Toon and took her to TGI’s for lunch. 

Lauren Child would never go to TGI’s. Lauren Child would’ve gone to some hip Madagascan bistro she knew of, down a trendy dark alley. 

Lauren Child was rocking this beautifully tailored skirt suit which was very probably Vivienne Westwood. And these really cool and quirky boots. 

I was in my jeans and trainers. 

There were a couple of stupid random questions after the talk. Lauren Child didn’t act like they were stupid random questions. She nodded like they were really interesting and came out with something profound about publishing having to make a profit and therefore having to go for commercial projects more and more. 

I would’ve just rolled my eyes, tutted and mumbled “I haven’t got a clue love” 

I bought her new book and queued for her to sign it. I had a ton of questions I wanted to ask her. I couldn't ask in the Q+A because I was surrounded by intellectual academic types and I didn't want to sound like a knob. But then I didn't feel like I could ask her when I got to the front either. So I told her I’d bought all her other books for my daughter who hadn’t appreciated them as much I did so could she write MY name in this one please. 

She said “Oh ha ha, of course Dawn.” And that was the end of that.

halfway to z

I've made it to the halfway point of the alphabet. Woo. 

the alphabet rumbles on

We went to Lagos in the Algarve this week for the other half's special birthday. It's my new fave place. It's now where I want my second home to be. It used to be Puerto Pollensa. But I've changed my mind. It was amazing.
We got home late last night and he buggered off to Benidorm at 5am. With the lads (old men). He's gonna be a wreck next week.
This is what you missed while I was away...cracking on with the old alphabet...

d and e and f

And here we go with D E and F. I'm on a roll. Even thinking of doing an advent alphabet when I finish.
Just kidding.

easy as a b c

I stared an ABC. A bit of a woodland thing. I've already made it to C.
I'll probably pack in before I get to H though. I'll almost certainly pack in before I get to U, X, Y and Z. Cos everyone knows there's nothing in the woods beginning with those unpopular letters.

dawdling

I made a hot chocolate and cinnamon swirl bun last 1 hour and 50 minutes in Starbucks last night. Much to the disgust of the Starbucks employee who swept under my table twice to make a point. It was preferable though to driving 27 minutes home, followed by driving 27 minutes back again in my role as Mum's Taxi.
I was meant to be at yoga. Had to give it a miss. The bun helped...

sunday stroll

Minnie the dog doesn't care if it's FreezeYerKnackersOffWeather. She wants to go for a walk. ALWAYS.

friday night mood

I drew a bunny last night. He looks a bit sad. He's not though. He's just pretending. For a bit of attention I think. Just ignore him.
I was personally a very happy bunny myself. The youngest finished scouts last week. Last night was my first term time Friday in three years where I didn't have to be a scout taxi at 9pm! I celebrated by having an early bath and lounging about on the sofa in pj's. With wine. Rock n roll.

cold

I know I'm not usually one to have a moan....but I hate the cold.
That is all.

september18

I resisted the urge to sleep and ploughed on like the trooper I am.....I even mashed together a pattern depicting the wild time that was September...

naps save lives

It's 9am Monday morning. 
Fresh new day.
Fresh new week.
Fresh new month.
So would now be a good time to have a bit of a lie down? Only I'm absolutely bloody knackered....