These boots were made for walking…

This morning we were off to Tasha’s. We’d already arranged to see if my car would start and if not walk. I was fairly convinced by the colour of the sky that we’d be walking in the rain for at least one of the to and from journeys and sure enough my car didn’t start 🙁

The walk is pretty boring, all along the main road to the seafront and then along the seafront road for a bit. It’s actually quite a bit further than I’d thought too, I checked when we got home and it is 2.4 miles, meaning we walked nearly 5miles altogether. I quite like walking but there has to be plenty to look at or good company. There was nothing really to look at and it’s a route I have walked along probably more than any other (I used to work just off the seafront when pregnant with Davies and we were down to one car for much of that time so I often used to walk to work). It’s a busy road, particularly with buses and lorries so quite fume-y too. But we kept up a fast pace and were there in a little over half an hour.

Tasha and I had a nice few hours chatting and Davies and Toby enjoyed playing with consoles together but Scarlett was at a bit of a loose end. She played with the cats (Tasha has seven!) for a while and did actually play with Vinnie quite a bit but I found out later she had done some rummaging about to find toys to play with the cats and not tidied up after herself 🙁

I wanted to get home well before dark, which we did although predictably the walk home always feels longer.

Chickens away, tea for children, fire lit, phonecall from Ady to say he was home but had decided to get my car started, spent ages jump starting it from his, borrowed some WD40 from David across the road (thank you neighbour) and finally got it going so was driving round and round the block until it was warmed up properly. Hurrah! He is definitely taking seriously his ‘this year’ plan to learn more about how cars work.

Finally he came in and we all caught up on each others days and did bad, good, learnt today. For us a big part of it is reconnecting the four of us and chatting about our day together, something important now when either Ady or I is away from the other three working and important for later in the year to get a daily habit of talking about how we are all feeling about what’s happening, the highs and lows, allowing each person time to air the bits they really love or hate with a proper audience and a dedicated four way conversation every single day.

Davies:
Bad – we had to walk to Tasha’s.
Good – that we went to Tasha’s
Learnt – pirates used to send death threats of a black dot.

Scarlett:
Bad – I can’t find my stylus!
Good – walked to Tasha’s
Learnt – pirates chop off their enemies ears and make them eat them

Ady:
Bad – Tidied up a cupboard and nobody bloody noticed!
Good – car started!
Learnt – a lump of gold the size of a matchbox can be flattened out to the size of a tennis court.

Nic:
Bad – My back is achey
Good – it didn’t rain while we were walking
Learnt – It is 2.4 miles to Tasha’s so we walked 4.8 miles today.

Ady read the kids a chapter or two of Narnia while I nipped back out to give my car a longer run and go to the supermarket for some veg for dinner. The kids went to bed, I had a very enjoyable half an hour in the kitchen singing along to music very loudly while getting dinner in the oven and then a bath while chatting to Julie on the phone. Queen of the multi-tasking ;).

We watched Hugh’s Big Fish Fight which provoked exactly the desired response in both of us 🙁 Hope it makes a difference.

I’ve not managed any begging today but will have a go at some tomorrow instead ;).