Today I've mostly bin...

[Biscuit]

am just waiting for my daughter to get home from uni so we can skype and work out the going potty puzzle - she has a brilliant trivia mind for all things hp

[Bunnylump]

Ah, now you're talking. I like the smell of it too! Don't have any of that though.

[Biscuit]

you can make your own but it doesnt have the right smell - its really quick just salt, flour, cream of tartar and oil - heat on stove - and colour as you see fit

[Bunnylump]

Oh, that last post was referring to Playdough, not to the Harry Potter puzzle! Although it is a bit stinky...

Yes, I could do that. But it is the smell that makes it really worthwhile...

[Biscuit]

i really should have made that clear - how confusing.

i am sitting in the garden - not too cold yet - summer is obviously on the way - oh has been and bought a couple of value fans for the childrens room when the heatwave hits.... roll on summer. even opened the doors at work - my office is a converted warehouse so has lovely big doors but unfortunately their is a car repair shop opposite who all think they are auditioning for the x factor.

[giraffe]

We don't have a black knex tool. I've never seen one! No wonder we didn't enjoy it, we were missing a vital part.

[Bunnylump]

Yes, it's like a little black piece of K'nex with a hook on the end.

How did we end up discussing k'nex?

I really must try the pop pop boat. It needs some methylated spirits to make it work. He's good at making things, my Dad. He made my doll's house too. Although I have to confess that the pop pop boat he made for me as an ADULT.

[clvrlad]

well i was hoping hed be an adult when he made it for you

after all we know your not an adult yet

[Bunnylump]

Dunno. I think I'm actually not only an adult but a grumpy old woman.

[Biscuit]

my dad was excellent at making things - once he made a dalek for my brother for a fancy dress but they said it was too professional and wouldnt let him win - such a shame - he only made it in the garage and he was only a wood machinist by trade.

when we were kids we went up to a snazzy shop in london and my dad measured the furniture on the pretence of whether it would fit in at home and then made us two sets one for me and one for my brother and they are still around today - how clever was that. there were beds, tables, chairs, dressing tables and wardrobes.

I really do admire him - he left school at 14 went into an apprenticeship for wood machinist and eventually ended up (after being made redundant 3 times) starting his own company. he has a great brain - still working at 78

at work today he made me laugh because i was sorting out a hire car for his holiday and we had to fill in his age and he was very careful to make sure that no one else heard how old he was.

[Bunnylump]

I'd LOVE to be able to do things like making furntiture. Unfortunately, when I was at school GIRLS had to do cooking and sewing (YUK) and weren't allowed to do what I wanted to do, which was metalwork and woodwork.

[Biscuit]

how times change my sister wasnt allowed to do td as it was reserved for boys even when my dad explained it would be useful if she learnt it for his company.

twenty years on she had to go back and design their new science and it suites - she reminded them that she had been unable to study td even though she now had to use it to design their new rooms - they laughed and said how times had changed. They loved their new it and science suites but interesting how times change.

[clvrlad]

well at my school it was obviously set up along those lines we had two massive kitchens
and two massive workshops but after we'd selected our courses for gcse, there were no girls at all in the cooking class just boys

mind we did manage to blow up a cooker

[Bunnylump]

Why am I not surprised by that??

[LAT]

We have K-nex but I don't remember a tool to take it apart.
We also have Sylvanian families - they are lovely and they have some great accessories. We have a windmill and a canal boat (from memory - they are in the attic now) which had lots of wonderful features.

[giraffe]

I don't get the concept of syvanian families. They're just model squirrels aren't they? But I know a lot of children that were very into them.

[LAT]

There are lots of different animals, we had cat cats, bears, rabbits, otters, pandas as well as squirrels I think. But it was the detail that was great. The windmill had a working pulley to haul the bags of flour up and down, and the canal boat had lots of storage just like a real canal boat does. And I remember we had a loo that sounded just like a real one when you "flushed" it. In fact just thinking about it all makes me want to get it out again.

[giraffe]

Lally had all our playmobil out the other week and then Kingsley joined in. They had a couple of hours of real fun. It's not often that they play like that anymore as K is nearly 16 and the five years between their ages seems very big at the moment.

[Bunnylump]

My daughter has the canal boat too!

My daughter (22) had her best friend round and they found the Barbie Dolls. They were happily playing and reminiscing for about 2 hours!!!

[Bunnylump]

Apologies for the big moan yesterday folks. I didn't have anyone to hand to shout at so I shouted at you. Thanks for listening.