Reunion

Cat and B came over to hang out with us and have dinner outside on the deck just because we could, since the rules have just changed to allow people to gather in back gardens between two households.

It was just like in the old days when they used to live down the road.

Race against hunger

 I did a sponsored run today with my running club friends. It was a gorgeous day and we ran 15 km along the Forest Way in Forest Row.

More puppy photos

 Annie is settling in quite well now. She likes playing with toys out on the grass.

And she also likes wrestling and climbing on people who are laying on the floor...

Pink hats three again

 Today the sea was so calm, like a bath tub. We had big impressive clouds and very clear water.

Puppy love

Last night was a disaster. We went against what the book said and took the advice of J, who said to put her in the crate and leave her. She did eventually sleep, but the next morning wasn't pretty and we decided to change course from that point on. Rhiannon ended up staying home today and spending quality time with lil Annie to get her feeling happy and calm with us. Time well spent! Rhiannon was such a star.

New puppy!

Welcome new puppy Annie! Annie's arrival was just after midday today and it was drizzly and chilly outside when J & A showed up with Annie plus 2 of her sisters who were on their way to other new families. We chatted, asked questions and enjoyed the pups playing together, and after about 30 minutes they all left and we started our new life with her!

We decided to call her Annie because it is a lovely, sweet name and she shares it with my cousin who is extremely lovely and sweet. And my cousin Annie's middle name is Elizabeth (Grandma Bucky's real name), and puppy Annie happened to be born on Grandma Bucky's birthday of January 18th. So that is how we converged on the name.

Preparing for our new addition

We really miss being a dog family. The past 18 months or so since Winnie went back home to Auntie Sions have been weird since we have been in this Covid lockdown life without a dog. We have been waiting for the right dog to arrive on our doorstep but we have been waiting for too long! 

So. We decided to sign up for one of the puppies from a litter of border collies that belong to a friend of a friend of ours. We were able to borrow this awesome modular iron pen from Liz, and a crate and hot pad thingy from Emma. Rhodri bought a flexible fencing set with metal stakes and we think that we are ready!

Apparently tomorrow is the day that new puppy will arrive. We haven't quite decided what to call her... Astrid, Xena, Delilah, Bobbi and Annie are on the short list.

Mothering Sunday this year

This year Mother's Day dawned a lovely fresh, sunny morning and I was treated to coffee and toast in bed, along with some exciting gifts! I got flowers, chocolate, and a book that I had been talking about.

Then I went for my now-regular Sunday morning run with Naresh and Jo starting at 9am. We ran ~10 km through Birch Grove, along the Horsted Keynes lakes and then up and back through the Cumnor/ Danehill woods. It was wonderful.

When I got home, the family had prepared my wished-for brunch of huevos rancheros, and they did a fab job of it! They even set the table in a really lovely way and even got dressed into nice clothes for the meal.

We had a very chilled afternoon of reading the paper and relaxing, cups of tea, etc.  In fact, the kids helped me plant some dahlia bulbs for my upcoming flower garden.

Then we had an early call (3:30 pm) with the family due to time change and after that we went to the beach! I've been wanting to share my swimming spot with the family and today was the day. We brought a picnic dinner that they had prepared, and we had a little bonfire as well. I did go for a dip but nobody wanted to join me. It was chilly and breezy, but beautiful as always.

I have a thoughtful and loving family and I'm so grateful.

Disco Bingo night

 Tonight we were invited to join our friend Winnie's Disco Bingo night, and it turns out that it was her birthday party. She had invited her friends and family from around the world and it was super fun. We got a little bit dressed up... I couldn't convince Tryfan to wear any of the fancy dress outfits in his closet so I chose a Prince Charming ensemble and sported that. Niiiice. Tryfs wore his "Electric Kitty" hoodie and Rhiannon wore a trendy bandana, while Rhods slicked his hair over to the side.

It was super fun to see Winnie's family in St Lucia and the US, and to groove along with the tunes.

Back at the beach

 I met Cat and EB today at the beach.  We had a great swim and it was really fun.