Weekends apart - Fri + Sat

This was a long holiday weekend for us, and Rhodri + Tryfs were at a rugby tournament all weekend over in Great Yarmouth (a long way away from us). That meant that Rhiannon and I got to have a lovely stretch of days just to ourselves! First we watched a couple of episodes of our new favorite TV show (on Netflix) called Heartland. Then when it was already past 10pm, we decided spontaneously to sleep on the trampoline.
 We did sleep in the end, and we didn't get rained on, and it was lovely to be out in the fresh air (it got down to 3 C/ 36 F)! We woke up at 6:15 am and went inside for a couple more hours of sleep, which has got to be one of the nicest things in the world. Then we had breakfast and, as it was the most gorgeous day ever, decided to rent a double kayak and paddle around Ardingly reservoir. So great to be out on the water with my girl enjoying the day!

 We did feel a little bullied by the sailing school and also the rowing club because we weren't entirely sure where we were supposed to go or not go. But in the end, nobody got hurt and it was a really enjoyable hour on the water. We celebrated by going to the "Cosy Cafe" in Ardingly and each having an egg and sausage bap, which we waited quite awhile for but was very tasty in the end.

 We went back home and quickly regrouped so we could make it to Rhiannon's riding lesson at 2pm. This week she was riding Gemini.

Then back at home, we did some useful things around the house and had dinner while watching more episodes of Heartland! Our friend and neighbor Jane came over and we watched 2 girly movies: Wild Child and Pitch Perfect. It was such a fabulous and special day - one of my favorites in a long time.

More rugby

Today was the last rugby tournament of the season and it was down in Worthing, about an hour away.
We made a day of it and piled into "Lil Jimmy" the green car and headed out first thing in the morning.  It was pretty chilly and a bit rainy when we first got there, but fortunately it warmed up a little bit and the sun came out.

 There was a team from Wales that had journeyed here to participate today, and I wish I could have caught on camera the expressions on the boys' faces when Rhodri and Tryfan came over to talk to them in Welsh! The boys were so surprised and happy to meet some Welsh-speaking English residents. It was especially important since the host club had done a less than impressive job of making this team feel welcome.

So the whole thing finished up around 1:30pm and we headed for home but stopped on the way for a swift pint and some crisps at the Spotty Cow pub. Good times.
In the late afternoon we had the weekly Skype call with California and enjoyed each others company for the rest of the day.

It was really great to hang out with Egan and we are stoked that he was able to swoop in for the weekend during his business travels.

Special guest appearance

...from the Gans side of the family this weekend: Egan!
Rhiannon and I picked him up at Haywards Heath station on Saturday morning and we all went grocery shopping together, then home for lunch. Rhodri and Tryfan were at a football/ soccer match in Tonbridge today so we didn't see them til the end of the day.

We did have a bit of a sad story today. I had seen this yummy looking cheesecake in a magazine and thought I could attempt it in celebration of Egan's visit (and also his birthday just a few days ago).

So we bought rhubarb and pomegranates and the rest of the ingredients and I spent a good part of the afternoon following the recipe. I even called Grandma Bucky for some advice in deciphering the wording of the recipe! And just when I had everything done, looking perfect and gorgeous, I started carrying it to the other fridge and tragedy struck: the latch on the tin caught on my pocket and the whole thing went SPLAT on the floor. Fortunately, I had swept the floor fairly recently so all the big chunks of debris were gone but it was a Very Sad Situation indeed.  In the end we scooped everything back into the tin and ate it for dessert anyway. And it was pretty good but it would have tasted better if it hadn't gone splat. Oh well!

Go for Gold

Tryfan's class performed their play today, called "Go for Gold", which was about the Olympics and the ancient Greeks. He played a couple of different characters, and he did a good job. But he had memorized everyone's lines for the entire play, so he was mouthing the words for each character. 

Rhiannon's class performed nearly the same thing a couple of years ago, so it was a little weird for those of us parents who have older kids too. But anyway, they had a good time. At least we didn't spend a lot on Tryfan's costume! He wore a pillow case and a sash from the dress I wore to Will and Rebecca's wedding.

Rugby, bouncing, sunshine..

... does it get any better than this? Its been a pretty great weekend with Auntie Sions here.
Today we all went to see Tryfan play rugby at Haywards Heath. Bentley came too, and it was a gorgeous day with fantastic clouds and sunshine. Hurray for springtime!

Happy running after Tryfan scored a try

Tryfan's team got 2nd place and here they are collecting medals

Sions had to leave in the late afternoon which was sad, but we are grateful for any visits from her. 

Concert in the city

Auntie Sions came to visit this weekend and we kicked it off by going together to see the fabulous Australian ska band called The Cat Empire. Woohoo! I worked in London Victoria today and then met Rhodri and Sions near the venue in Hammersmith straight after work. 

It was a late night but at least it was a Friday night so we have the whole weekend to recover!

Definitely a good purchase

We are so glad to have a trampoline! Happy days! It is a perfect location too - just behind the first clump of trees and flowers, visible from the house but not tainting the relatively tidy expanse of lawn in the first part of the back garden.

The kids (especially Rhiannon) have been out there jumping every chance they get.

A new addition to the household

After all the begging and pleading, songwriting and rule creating, we finally bought a 12 ft trampoline!! Woohoo! While Tryfan and Rhodri were at rugby this morning, Rhiannon and I set it up...

It was pretty straightforward and painless to set up, and soon enough we were happily bouncing!

Wonderful Wales

It has been so nice to be here in north Wales this week. The kids have gotten to spend time with their younger cousins and get looked after by Nain and Taid, while Rhodri and I got a few days by ourselves and went on some great hikes.

Tryfan, Rhiannon with Rhyddid, Leusa and Brython

Brython, Leusa and Rhyddid with their big cousins

Tonight was our final night, and we (Rhods and I) went for dinner into Conwy with Geri and Bleddyn. Always fun to see them. On the way to the restaurant, we got to admire the sky over Anglesey with the amazing rays of light streaming through the clouds.

The 4000 year old mine in our backyard

In 1987, the local council here in Llandudno was putting in a parking lot on the Great Orme and they discovered that it was the site of some ancient mining. It is now known as the worlds largest Bronze Age mine in the world! http://www.greatormemines.info/  We have never been into the mine, so we paid for a family ticket and went in. We were surprised to learn that dogs were invited to come along too, so we brought Bentley from the car to join us on the self-directed tour.

 Then we went on up to the top of the Orme and poked around looking for fossils. We brought safety goggles, hammers and chisels for the occasion and it was great.

 It was a chilly but dry day and it was great to be up high in Llandudno.

Baby lambs!

We have seen so many cute baby lambs the past few days!

 

 I can't get enough of these little sweeties.

Dramatic Lake District

We went on another walk today, this one carefully chosen to make the most of the weather forecast. It was actually quite a grim forecast of rain, rain, and possible snow at higher elevation. Not a great day for hiking up to scenic viewpoints. So we chosen a lumpy part of the area that promised interesting views in various directions, and it turned out to be a great choice.

We had a nice hike with plenty of dramatic weather and views. For lunch we took refuge in the emergency shelter which Rhodri is always happy to bust out. It is really cozy inside, and nice to be out of the raging wind for a few minutes.

After our walk we got in the car and headed back to Llandudno to arrive in time for supper! It was a great couple of days just Rhods and I together.

Lake District adventure

Rhods and I left the kids with Nain and Taid yesterday (Monday) morning and we drove off for a few hours to the Lake District. Rhodri had a meeting with one of his suppliers, but we were a bit early so we went on a little walk before arriving back to the Bergans office in Levens. It was a nice afternoon of Rhodri and Andy talking outdoor clothing while I sat at a desk and did my own work.
We left in the late afternoon and checked into a really nice pub called The Plough . Andy treated us to a great dinner and many, many stories over the course of the evening.

Today we went on a walk from the end of Haweswater reservoir, and it was fabulous.

Lunching spot in a little alcove complete with built in seats

From "High Street", we could see over the top to some other lakes

Beautiful clouds racing over the landscape

On the way back, we called in at the Haweswater hotel where we had a post-walk drink and saw two red squirrels! Neither of us had ever seen a red squirrel, so it was quite exciting. We had dinner at the hotel again but it was rather short and quiet compared to the previous evening with Andy. All good, though.

Caves on the Orme

After our fabulous walk this morning, we went home for a spot of lunch and then ventured back out - this time to West Shore where there is a playground and beach. Rhiannon ended up twisting her ankle while jumping over a pool of water and had to go back home with Nain, but I think she was happy to go back home anyway. That's when Taid, Rhodri, Tryfan and I went for a wander up the path that zigzags up the Great Orme. There are some caves up there and also plenty of goats, including some baby ones which were soooo cute!

We had a really nice walk, and then came back down the same way and stopped by the beach to look at rocks before heading home for a superb Sunday supper. It was an extra special supper because it was our anniversary, and then we also had a guest appearance by Auntie Jane!

It was a wonderful day all around.