We’d arranged to meet Julie & co at some local ornamental gardens that we have visited together many times over the years since we had toddlers in pushchairs to watch the changing of the seasons with. Before we went I spent some time Proper Googling to understand what Candlemas / Imbolc / Groundhog Day are all about and was most cheered to notice it was grey and drizzly outside.
We had breakfast / dealt with chickens / drank tea etc and then headed off to meet the others. I remembered at the end of the road that I’d not picked my camera up so we double backed to get it which made us about 5 minutes late when for once Julie was on time. Rather annoyingly when we arrived and I went to take a picture of some snowdrops I realised the battery was flat anyway 🙁
We had a lovely couple of hours with them – we barely saw the older four but crossed paths with them a couple of times as Julie, Lorna and I walked round at Lorna’s pace chatting and catching up. We talked lots about parents, our upcoming trip, relationships and other stuff but Julie did mention the kids are limited to 2 hours a week screen time (computer and TV) and talked about their food and how white bread is poison. All very commendable but did make me feel the need to come home via the sweet shop 😆 and let the kids watch cartoons when we got in 😆 I do like the way Julie and I so clearly have such different views on some things but manage to support each other in them and never fall out or judge each other.
Back at home we had lunch and then a very chilled afternoon chatting, playing with geomags, cuddling, watching various things on TV (found a show hosted by Bindi Irwin which S loved) and I cleared the coats and shoes in the hall into boxes for storing and bags for charity shop / clothes bank. I lit the fire early as I was freezing (I even put a pair of socks on! 😯 ) and did the kids tea.
Ady arrived home with a Horrible Histories annual for the kids from a workmate and we also looked at a couple of books that had arrived from Amazon today: for Davies who wants to learn about various knots and for Scarlett who was thrilled to see ‘how to’ stuff on little ducks and chickens and trees :).
We did bad, good, learnt today:
Scarlett:
Bad: Wanted to play a game with Davies but he changed his mind (I think he is teaching her a lesson having been wanting her to play something with him last week that she kept changing her mind over)
Good: Went to Highdown Gardens with Julie, Jack, Maisie & Lorna
Learnt: how hard a parlour maid worked in Victorian times (thank you HH annual :)).
Nic:
Bad: Missed parcel being delivered – think it’s our MiFi from three 🙂 will collect tomorrow from Post Office
Good: Nice morning with Julie
Learnt: About Groundhog Day / Candlemas / Imbolc
Ady:
Bad: Colleague at work being pedantic and akward rather than just wishing me luck. (Stupid HR bint, I would have fallen out with her Big Time years ago!)
Good: Nic’s car still being reliable even in the rain
Learnt: Georgian dentists would replace rich people’s rotten teeth with good teeth from children (thank you HH annual)
Davies:
Bad: Scarlett threw away her unwanted dinner before I could interupt and say I’d have them.
Good: Went to the sweet shop
Leant: Indians used bison tongues to brush their hair (oh, guess what? Thank you HH annual!)
Usual round of bath, dinner etc and Ady and I watched some Outnumbered which seems to be on back to back on one of the channels at the moment. I do ♥ that show 🙂