Devon with Amanda and the kids
I took Amanda and the kids to Devon for a few days. Suki had to sit in the back between the two child seats! She was quite good and soon settled down to sleep. We stopped off at Leigh Delamere services for a break (about half way) both there and back. The weather was appalling - Storm Brendan lashed the county for most of the 4 days were were there. Luckily we arrived at the house before it hit hard - I was really glad not to have been driving in it. The kids were soon playing with the sticker books Jayne had got for them, and with the monopoly set which didn't have a board but it didn't seem to matter as the draughts and snakes and ladders board seemed to do the job for Harry!
We went for a very wet and muddy walk in Parke on the first day.
The next day was the one bright sunny day so we crammed everything in to it. We went for a walk on the moor and then went to House of Marbles for a cream tea - a first for the kids. Amanda and I had the two scone version and were absolutely stuffed afterwards.
Amanda started a jigsaw with the kids in the afternoon - while I had a power nap prior to the monthly handbell peal attempt which this month was Wembley and was scored! We carried on the jigsaw the next day - appalling weather again - and didn't realise the time until the kids complained of being hungry at 2 pm! We took them to a soft play centre in Newton Abbot for a couple of hours after lunch. Amanda finished the jigsaw the next morning before we left.
We were all packed and strapped in to the car about to leave when the new gardener turned up so I felt obliged to get out and say hello. Suki of course then went ballistic in the car with everyone else still strapped in! Really bad timing!
When we got home Mike had just finished drilling a hole in the metal footrest of his handbike which had taken him 4 hours - we were very glad we had missed that! I was allowed to miss ringing at Barnes and Amanda and I watched the final two episodes of The Crown with a pint of Dartmoor gin and fever tree tonic each.
We went for a very wet and muddy walk in Parke on the first day.
The next day was the one bright sunny day so we crammed everything in to it. We went for a walk on the moor and then went to House of Marbles for a cream tea - a first for the kids. Amanda and I had the two scone version and were absolutely stuffed afterwards.
Amanda started a jigsaw with the kids in the afternoon - while I had a power nap prior to the monthly handbell peal attempt which this month was Wembley and was scored! We carried on the jigsaw the next day - appalling weather again - and didn't realise the time until the kids complained of being hungry at 2 pm! We took them to a soft play centre in Newton Abbot for a couple of hours after lunch. Amanda finished the jigsaw the next morning before we left.
We were all packed and strapped in to the car about to leave when the new gardener turned up so I felt obliged to get out and say hello. Suki of course then went ballistic in the car with everyone else still strapped in! Really bad timing!
When we got home Mike had just finished drilling a hole in the metal footrest of his handbike which had taken him 4 hours - we were very glad we had missed that! I was allowed to miss ringing at Barnes and Amanda and I watched the final two episodes of The Crown with a pint of Dartmoor gin and fever tree tonic each.
