Reasons to be Cheerful: Half Term #R2BC

I really can't believe its half way through half term and my last week as host for another month! It means that the lovely Michelle will be hosting again next week. Meanwhile here are my reasons to be cheerful this week:
1) Beautiful Autumn Days
On the days when the sun shines it really is glorious at the moment with all the Autumn colours. I had time to appreciate Fletcher Park when I came home the long, slow way from town:

2) Birthday Goodies

I have finally been successful in spending the last of my birthday money on a much better running watch. It has a longer battery life and tracks my steps as well as connecting to my phone! I just need to sort my foot out to be able to get running properly again:

3) Appreciating Nature

This lovely swan was cleaning itself on the shores of Windermere when we paused at Waterhead yesterday:

Reasons to Cheerful: Autumn and Fun #R2BC

It is now Autumn so my favourite season which gives me many reasons to smile! 

The linky is still in the hands of Michelle so please pop over there to join in... Meanwhile here are my reasons to be cheerful this week:
1) A fixed screen
I had a week of not being able to use most of my iPhone due to a smashed screen. Now after a home repair I can have my phone back. I just need to get the LCD panel off old one to get home button etc working!

2) Car booting

It was a long morning but we made a decent amount and got rid of plenty of surplus at our latest car boot:

Reasons to be Cheerful: Back to routine #R2BC

The lovely Michelle is hosting again this month as she enjoys reading all our happy posts, please pop over and see why she is cheerful this week. Meanwhile here are my reasons this week:

1) Simple fun

On the way home from town my son met a couple of friends in the park and kicked a football around with them for a bit before heading into the playground:

2) Happy Herdwick

How could this smile not be infectious:

Reasons to be Cheerful: Comic Arts Festival #R2BC

Running late but hopefully publishing on a Thursday! Life is just oh so busy.... Here are my reasons to be cheerful this week:

1) Comic Arts Fest

This weekend was our annual Comic Arts Festival. A fabulous celebration of all things Comic related. My son and I enjoyed wandering around and soaking up the atmosphere and encountering strange visitors:

2) Art workshop

One thing that was on offer were drawing workshops. At this one the artist drew something you liked and in return you drew something back. It was called We Draw You Draw and he drew Dan & Phil whilst my daughter drew a llama wearing a sombrero. Made me laugh to see how comical she made her picture...

3) Autumn Teaching

I had a lovely morning with my year one class learning about Autumn and then creating art with leaves that we found on a walk around the playground:

4) Beautiful mornings

The advantage of morning drives to Barrow is that I get some lovely sunrises and gorgeous colours. This was the view from my classroom yesterday morning:

Please join in and share the happiness this week!

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Reasons to be Cheerful: November is here #R2BC

I have handed the baton back for the month to the lovely Jo at Ojo's World she will be taking care of us all until December! Please do pop over to her blog and say hello. Meanwhile here are my reasons to be cheerful this week:

1) Family fun

For some reason we didn't get up to much over half term but saved it for the Saturday with our fun morning at (full post Fell Foot):

2) Halloween Fun

Living in a new area its a bit worrying on Halloween not knowing what happens. Turns out both children went out with friends for hours and gathered loads of goodies and I had plenty of polite trick or treaters that I freaked out with my makeup:

3) A beautiful Autumn

We have had a glorious autumn so far and the colours are fantastic:

4) Blogfest

Oh and I'm off to Blogfest thanks to sponsorship!

Why are you smiling this week?

Reasons to be Cheerful: Autumnal edition #R2BC

Thanks everyone for joining in last week I hope I have visited you all!. I find that sharing little happy things can really lift the mood whatever may have happened in the week. Here are my reasons this week's:
1) Autumnal walks
This is my favourite time of year and until today its been fabulous to walk or run around in the sunshine and enjoy the almost magical look that autumn brings the trees:

2) 2000 Blips

My blipfoto journal racked up its 2000th photograph this week. I used the photograph from Fell Foot Parkrun's birthday celebrations and received so many stars and hearts I hit the popular page:

The Parkrun is even using my shot as its Facebook profile pic!

3) Birthday camp out sleepover

My daughter and 4 of her friends successfully camped out in the garden for her 12th birthday celebrations! Not much sleep had but a lot of fun:

We want to share people's happy posts so please link your posts and grab the badge...

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Reasons to be Cheerful: Learning Lessons #R2BC

Thank you Jo for sorting out this week's linky whilst I was busy on my teaching practice! I have had a roller coaster week so I need to focus on this week's reasons to be cheerful for me:

1) Running away 

Well not quite but if you read my Workout Wednesday post you can see its been my best running week for quite some time!

2) Teaching Successes

Its a steep learning curve being a trainee primary teacher and having to know 13 subjects and how to teach to a range of children! Most lessons its ever so easy to not get it right so to have a fabulous French lesson today made me feel great. 

3) Autumn in Cumbria

This is definitely one of the most beautiful times of the year to be living in Cumbria:

See my Silent Sunday for another Fell Foot photo.

Please join us and share your happiness and grab the badge if you would like it:

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#CountryKids Mini Ramble on The Helm

We had another Mini Ramble with our local Ramblers on Sunday. This time we were joined by another family with 3 children to go up the Helm which is behind Oxenholme. There turned out to be plenty to do to make a 3 mile walk take 2.5 hours! First up we met the local hill ponies being taken for a ride:

Then we picked blackberries:

Spotted fungi:

Played hide and seek in the bracken:

And eventually reached the trig point on the top:

My daughter enjoyed helping to lead the walk:

Everyone tried to spot their house from the top:

Having younger children around to mother made my daughter's day. I think their parents enjoyed the break too:

It was lovely and peaceful along the top:

We stood and watched a skein of pink footed geese flying over head:

Before passing through a gate to go down the far side:

Plenty more fungi to spot on this side:

Reasons to be Cheerful: Week 31 It's October #R2BC

I can't believe it's October already! This is always a great month as 2 of us have birthdays and there is half term to look forward to. It's also well and truly autumn which is my favourite season. Here are just a few of my reasons to be cheerful this week:
1) Family Fun
We had such a fabulous time at Whinlatter on Saturday on a perfect autumn day in Cumbria. So looking forward to more visits up there over the next couple of months:

2) My boy
Sometimes he drives me round the bend then writes soppy things like this:

and he was even able to help with the washing up now he reach the sink properly (just don't tell him I had to re-wash some of it!):

Pleased to report he got 91/100 out of his second set of 100 words that he needs to know before the end of this school year!

3) Relaxing Sunday

After church and lunch on Sunday we got the bikes out of the shed and headed across town to the park. More about this in a future post but meanwhile here is my big girl demonstrating her pedalling skills:

And my reward was to sit in the sun with a book and a coffee:

In fact several friends appeared in the park so it was nice to sit and chat!

4) Girl time

Whilst my son was at Beavers I retired to the pub with my daughter and another mum. It's lovely to be able to spend time doing big girl things like Cribbage:

She is doing well at school as well this term so no worries on that front either!

5) Shredtober

Well 3 days under my belt and its not really getting easier yet! Pleased to be able keeping it up - just 25 more days to go:

I also went running for first time since my cold struck, not fastest ever but more consistent!
6) Operation House
Been a bit busy this week so not much done but we have sold a surplus chest of drawers from my daughter's room! It looks so much bigger in there now. Just need to sell the existing wardrobe and bunks so that she can get a more useful mid or high sleeper..
I did manage to donate 2 bags of clothes to the North West Air Ambulance and 1 of books to the British Heart Foundation so its small steps... Hoping I can get more done over the next week...