What Sundays were meant for

Do you remembers the days when Sunday was a special family day. The corner shop opened until 1200 hrs if we were lucky, but it did not matter as back then we were organised and could work out that we needed to buy all of our weeks shop a day earlier. Television would show quality family entertainment in the afternoon and did not contain violence, swearing etc etc even after 2100hrs.

Now we get up and go to a hypermarket that is as busy on a Sunday as it was for the rest of the week as people panic that some how the world supply of bread will run out before Monday morning.!!!

Well Sunday trading and the lack of time that families interact with each other on this special day is one of my pet hates. So as a family we spend quality time together, carrying out strange rituals such as 'communicating' with each other via old fashioned means through talking, we even move our mouths instead of texing or grunting that dinner is ready, (not that we do text as I won't pay the 10p needed, ok I know I could have 500 free texts if I was on contract, but I have to pay for the contract, so 'they are not free, are they' !!. But I would rather just open the lounge door and speak to my daughters to inform them that dinner is ready.

But I am old fashioned I guess.

So today is my eldest birthday, Bella my youngest of 9yrs instead of buying a present wanted to turn a bowl for her sister. Bella was so excited the night before going into the workshop that she got me up early Sunday morning to go out with her to over see the making of her gift.

So it was up early and into the workshop with Bella turning a small beech bowl. Bella tells me that being a sculptor is her career choice when she gets older and has had me setting up a small demo lathe that I use for her to turn on. So I will be enjoying some more quality time together.

Here are a few pictures of Bella adding colour to grooves that she produced with a point tool.

So after the bowl we went out for our favourite Sunday outing which is to go to Sandbanks apparently the most expensive place on the planet to live, I use to be based in Poole in the Police and one of the most stressful beats I had to undertake was plain clothed foot patrol in the summer due to thefts and pick pockets, so I had to walk along the beech while blending in with the locals, well you have to take the rough with the smooth. !! :-)

Here are some pictures of from Sandbanks the first one is of a multi million pound house, I wouldn't give you tuppence for it, fancy paying all of that money and looking out of your window and seeing hundreds of tourists lying on the beech basking for free outside of your front door. Are these people mad. ?!!!The last time we visited the usual Ferrari's and Lamborghini's were parked up in a row, it is as close as I will ever get to one.

On the beach, combing (Philip you were instrumental in this regular family ritual), picture of what we found will be posted later, some interesting textures etc.

Then there was some chap racing up and down just in a high speed boat. It was quick and must have cost a packet.