Saturday
I worked in the morning. The upside of my slightly longer all day shift each week is a slightly shorter morning shift each week. Enjoyed talking politics and green issues with James the Saturday assistant who’s doing similar A levels to what I did and has similar ambitions to the ones I did at that age – suspect he has more chance of actually seeing them through though and is going to uni so is already a step closer than I ever got.
Back home I did some sewing, the children were off playing and Ady watched the football. He was sad at the result obviously 🙁 I suspect everyone who isn’t a Chelsea supporter also wanted Pompey to win, being a nation of underdog supporters as we are. It would have been nice.
We packed up overnight bits and went over to do the sheep before going to Tom’s parents. Tom & Ingrid were staying there as Tom’s parents were away for the weekend. Also there was Tom’s sister Bindi, Tom’s friend Tim (who was rechristened WPC OtherTim by the end of the evening although none of us could remember quite why this morning), Tim (Ady’s ex-boss) and Anne (known as Mrs Tim), Debs (another ex colleague) and her husband Gary and their daughter Elisha. We started with drinks in the garden before moving indoors for dinner when it got dark.
Davies and Scarlett had a ball playing with the pack of dogs that live there, the chickens, the pigs and managed to start up the tractor too. I love that they get to be so feral and free range there and it is not only accepted it is positively celebrated :). Much drinking, hilarity, singing, dancing, playing on the Wii and general having a good time ensued. Rather too much of some of that list for some of us and at least two people were sick from over indulgence and everyone was very, very fragile this morning. Worth it though :).
Sunday still managed to be a fairly early start for most of us. Funniest moment was WPC OtherTim staggering into the kitchen to a chorus of ‘WPC OtherTim!’, wearing his sunglasses. He looked around at us all, said ‘Officer down’ in a quiet voice and shuffled off back to bed again :lol:. Tom cooked up sausage, eggs and bacon and washed down with multiple cups of tea and orange juice we all began to feel more human again.
Davies had been angling to actually have a go of the tractor so we all went out into the field and Davies drove it while Tom sat alongside him and Ady, Scarlett, Ingrid and I stood in the back. It was crazy, like a mad fairground ride with a nine year old operating in at top speed. Davies absolutely LOVED it and Scarlett declined the chance to drive it but really enjoyed running behind it to jump aboard once it was going. Ady went to jump on just as Davies increased the speed and fell back off again. I don’t remember laughing so much in ages. Four very hungover adults riding a tractor round a very bumpy field driven by a child – craziness!
More tea, more Wii, more playing with the dogs, some of us were most entertained by playing with a 20 questions toy thinking of things like ‘hangover’ (it came close suggesting ‘death’).
We headed for home, via Sainsburys for roast dinner supplies. I had a very long bath after which I felt loads better, Scarlett played with the ducklings and cleaned them out, Davies and Ady played some x box and Ady cooked dinner. Scarlett also had a long bath and Davies and I watched last weeks Doctor Who – need to catch up on last nights still though.
Dinner was lovely, we watched Top Gear and then Davies had a bath and I crashed out on the sofa dozing while half watching Halycon River Diaries. The kids went to bed, Ady’s cooked up the chicken carcass to make a very gorgeous smelling stock which I am planning soup with tomorrow for lunch. I’m off to bed soon where I suspect I will sleep really very well indeed.