A Lake District weekend.

We enjoyed a lovely weekend break in the beautiful Lake District…

1) Both our journeys, north and south, were unmarred by bad traffic, bad weather, and badly behaved children! Consequently, they were fast, fun, and relaxed.

2) A lovely walk around Buttermere, including a stop for a picnic lunch, a midway point stop for icecream, and a stop for afternoon tea on the way back to the car! Such a beautiful location 🙂 .

3) There’s something very special about visiting with friends who have been around for more than two decades 🙂 .

Breakfast, blue sky, and thank you.

1) We had porridge for breakfast this morning and A remarked that it was much creamier than usual. I don’t know why this should be as I followed the recipe we normally use, but it vanished pretty quickly, so I’m certainly not complaining!

2) As we walked home through the rain we discussed a certain patch of blue sky, and wondered if it was heading our way.  It did indeed, and by the time we reached home it had stopped raining and the sun had come out.

3) To receive a lovely text message, and to know that my gifts had been appreciated 🙂 .

Safe, wind, and no complaints,

1) To receive a text from K saying that he had safely landed in London.

2) To lean into the wind and feel it pushing me upright again.

3) I left home with blue skies around me. By the time I reached school ten minutes later, the rain was whipping around me, the sky dark grey, and the gusts of wind were so strong I nearly lost my hat. However, neither child complained about the weather the whole way home.

Walk, popping in, and gold medal!

1) We walked up the hill first, which happened to be into the wind.  After that, the rest of the walk seemed a breeze!

2) I discovered that I unexpectedly had a free half hour this afternoon. I used it to pop in to visit a friend, instead of writing the email I had planned to send her. Baby cuddles, a cup of tea, a toddler game of hide-and-seek, and a few stolen minutes to catch up on where things were at.

3) M came out from her ballet class today, bouncing and delighted with her good news – she not only passed her ballet exam last month, but achieved a gold medal* too! 🙂 🙂

* Not that she’s received it yet, so no photos for a while.

Happy, me and my boy, and evening light.

1)  The look on the kids’ faces when I pulled freshly baked rolls out of the oven for lunch. They were very happy!

2) M is away for the afternoon, so A and I have an afternoon together. We play Battleships, and chat, and later on we go out for a run. It was a fun way to spend an afternoon 🙂 .

3) Dinner is over, and it’s light and sunny outside. We head on out for an evening walk/cycle/scooter.  The longer lighter evenings are already making me feel full of energy and hope!

Black Loch, us time, and Good Friday.

1) After our drive last night, we are keen to go back and explore in the daylight… We discover the beautiful Black Loch (Limerigg), hidden in the hills behind Slamaanan, and enjoy a lovely walk along the lochside and on through the forest. A wrote a lovely description of our trip here – it comes complete with photos.

2) A and I crunch through the pristine snow, and talk about all sorts of interesting things. It was nice having some two-of-us time.

3) K and M make homemade hotcross buns, which we eat warm from the oven.  Their flour-paste crosses symbolic of another cross

Melting, she did good, and plans.

1) It snowed again last night, and we reluctantly met for a cuppa instead of our planned walk. As we drank our tea, we realised that the snow was rapidly disappearing, and we went out for our walk after all.

2) M was one of the narrators in her school concert today, and she did incredibly well – word-perfect, every word clear and audible, and a beautiful smile on her face the entire time.  Definitely a proud Mummy moment 🙂 .

(Megan has just written an account of her concert here…)

3) Planning our holiday – good fun!

Cold, green, and dentist

1) It’s cold when we set out to walk, but we go anyway. On the way back, we walk into the biting wind, and through a couple of flurries of snow. Still it was good to be out in the fresh air, and we felt the better for the exercise :-).

2) I dusted off the leaves of two of my favourite plants this morning – they both look so much brighter and greener and happier now!

3) The trip to the dentist (for A, M, and I) was quick and straightforward. No problems, nothing to worry about, a cheery dentist, and we were all done and on our way in a matter of a mere fifteen minutes! 🙂

Baby, break, and sous-chef.

1) I get to cuddle the baby, while his mum goes upstairs to have a shower.

2) K is able to take a brief break from work this afternoon, and we walk up to school together to pick up the kids 🙂 .

3) M helps K make a fabulous chicken stir-fry for dinner this evening.  She does a super job of helping to chop the vegetables, proving herself an excellent sous-chef!

A lovely weekend.

1) Thanks to lovely grandparents, K and I escaped for a night away on our own on Saturday – a belated celebration of our anniversary.

2) We swam, and enjoyed the sauna. We had a lovely walk along the riverfront. We found a Mexican restaurant, and enjoyed a fabulous meal out.

3) On Sunday, after a riverside (with the comfort of a roof and plate glass windows separating us from the bitter weather) brunch, we spent a fascinating couple of hours at the Discovery Point museum. From there, we drove south to Loch Leven, and had afternoon tea in the Larder. Whilst there, there was a break in the weather, so we took ourselves out for a beautiful lochside walk, before heading on south and back to reality 🙂 .