A magical day

I took today off from work so that Rhods and I could hang out together.  First we went to Martells in East Grinstead to buy beds for all of us. Tryfan is getting a new mattress, and Rhiannon and us are getting new beds. It is something we have been talking about for awhile, and today is the day. We ended up choosing some interesting sounding mattresses that are made here in England: Harrison Spinks and Shakespeare Romeo.

Then we went back home,  regrouped, and then we put our bikes on the roof rack and drove to Rottingdean where we then rode down to Brighton and Hove along the sea front, and then back. It was a chilly day but we had all the right kit (of course) and it was fabulous. Back in Rottingdean, we poked our heads into a couple of different pubs hoping to get some food and on our 3rd try we got in. So many places require you to book ahead of time and don't take walk-ins.  But this one, The Plough Inn, had a table by the heat lamp under a tent which was perfect for us.

We had the most delicious meal and drinks there: Cauliflower almond soup with sourdough bread, cheesy chips, and baked Camembert with sourdough toast and side garnishes. Rhods had a coffee and I had a beer, and it was all soooo delicious.  

The evening as we were driving back had beautiful lighting over the landscape

We made it back home and had more chips and a nice evening with the fam. It was a fun day, and such a luxury to play hookie in the middle of the week.

Planning meeting

 I met up with Heather and Anne Marie so we could plan our June adventure.

The pubs are now open to groups of 6 as long as you are sitting outside. So even though it snowed yesterday and it is still really chilly, we  made the most of it here at the Coach & Horses pub.

Earlier today, Annie had her jab at the vet clinic and it all went well. She did well with the vet and didn't have any issue with the drive there/ back or with the vets in the first place. At least she got Alex as her first vet, and he is so special.

Snow!

 It snowed today - yikes!

Winter garden, still

 

It has been so cold here. I have some plants in the greenhouse but I still have to cover them up at night because it is getting down to freezing at night.

The veg garden is still sitting dormant, waiting for the soil to warm.
 

This morning I went swimming again with my homies. It was beautiful and exhilarating, as always. We have some spectacular clouds in the sky today - this is my favorite kind of day.

First car journey

Miss Annie has her first local vet appointment on Tuesday so we have been practicing getting her familiarised with the car. Today we got her into the car and drove all the way to the village hall.

The Easter rug

 Somehow I think we missed refreshing the rug last year and it had gotten really faded. So we used a lull in the afternoon to color Easter eggs and then throw the remaining dye onto the dining room rug.

Easter Sunday

This morning the Easter Bunny came and left a treasure hunt for the kids to find their chocolate surprises, and then I scampered off to go for a morning swim with Cat. The scene at TM was joyous, with a sailing school out fluttering around, several different small groups of people swimming, and even a water skier! It was a bit overcast but still gorgeous.

By the time I got back home, the sun was fully out and it had turned into a lovely day. Emma and the kids came over and we had our traditional egg hunt

Doggy Day Care

Rhodri has been doing an amazing job looking after Annie this week while I've been at work and the kids have been in school. It's been tough! She is a rascal! But also very sweet and clever and fun.

~

At least now it is the start of Easter holidays and the kids will be around to share the load.

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.

Cheeky card sharks

These two decided to spend their Sunday afternoon out on the deck playing cards. They were laughing so hard together as they played some game that involves slapping the table. It reminded me of the game I used to play called "Spank the Berry Bird".

It was a gorgeous day, a gorgeous weekend actually!, and we can say goodbye to February without any regrets.

Friday afternoon walks

The past couple of weeks I have been meeting Danni in the forest which is halfway between our two houses. Tryfan and Blythe then go their own way for a 13-year-old walk. Tonight was pretty much a full moon and it was a gorgeous evening. It is sooo nice to have this to look forward to through the week.

Tonight we went over the road to Pippingford and sat for a spell in the grass to enjoy the dusky evening.