Lots of things fell into place this weekend, it was great. So much to say (after a while of not really writing on the blog) that it's a bit of a jumble.
Mum and Dad visited which is always nice. The boys were both really good all weekend, well behaved and fun. number two son started crawling this weekend, only backwards, but it still counts. In other baby landmarks we dropped his dream feed this weekend too, so no more waiting up to wake him up and feed him. He's coping with it fine so far.
Saturday day time we went to a Thomas The Tank Engine day at Tenterden. More for thing one obviously than an actual birthday treat for Clare or myself, but it's just the weekend that it fell on. It was a good day, but if we were going again I would just get a platform ticket, instead of booking onto one of the trains. We basically paid extra to be transported away from all of the Thomas events for an hour and a half, bit silly.
We ate and drank really well all weeken, we had a meal in together on Friday, then lunch in Cafe Rouge on Saturday, dinner out in Chambers on Saturday night, and then lunch out in Blooms on Sunday. Chambers was just Clare and I. number two son nearly scuppered our Saturday night plans by not wanting to go to sleep, but we got away in the end. He's so very rarely upset by anything that when he is we take it seriously. It took for us to actually say "we give up, we'll stay in" and Clare to change back into her pyjamas for him to stop. So, quick change and back out again.
Even the weather played nicely really. I have been saying throughout the heatwave "I love the sun, but the garden needs some rain, why can't we have a torrential downpour then hot sun again?" and we got it. So before heading to Tenterden it bucketed down, then dried up while we were walking around, then rained again when we were undercover on the train. So we didn't get wet. Then in the evening it really hoofed it down, and so I got to see one of my favourite things on my birthday, rain gushing upwards out of holes in the ground. I don't know why this pleases me so much but a burst drain spraying upwards is a thing of beauty to me.
I hope we've had enough rain for the lawn to recover, it's still looking very patchy. Some green, lots of brown, and patches of black where the dead moss is. I have raked out some of the dead moss but this does not leave the lawn looking any better. I might sow some more seeds.
I got some nice presents for my birthday, some holiday clothes and some vouchers to buy more, and some DIY / gardening money. I am going to get some sort of automatic watering gubbins this week, though we might also put some of it towards a new freezer. Clare got a bike, and I got Dad's old bike, so we can start going out together. We just need a trailer for number two son now and we can all go out together.
Got Clare's bike in Tibbs in Cheriton, much recommended they were nice in there.
Finally a real sense of achievement this weekend too. Replaced one of the lights on the car myself. Then thought we were in for trouble when the brake warning light came on on the car while we were out, Clare looked it up figured a top up of brake fluid might do it, we bought some and it did. That might have meant a trip to the garage, but no, result.
Busy back at work now. Did a nice walk at lunchtime, and seriously considering cycling in to work soon...
Paul Clarke's blog - I live in A small town, Kent. Wed to Clare + father to two, I am a full stack web engineer, and I do javascript / nodejs, some ruby, python, php ect ect. I like pubs, parkrun, eating, home-automation and other diy stuff, history, family tree stuff, Television, squirrels, pirates, lego, and TIME TRAVEL.