Birthday fun and games

I had my presents last week - new shoes that don't hurt my feet or let in the wet (at least from the underneath, I WILL still be needing wellies at some point lol). A wooden box from Em, and Tantrix from Squee. It had its first outing to a games night already and was much enjoyed, though Benj won. It takes him about thirty seconds of a new game to start strategising and he is very smart, so I lost dreadfully in spite of plenty of puzzling practice.So yesterday we asked Jenna and Morgan what we should do for Mummy's birthday. I had already looked outside at this point and seen grey sleet being hurled from black clouds, but still, I gave them free choice. With a car, they might have suggested ANYTHING, I was a bit scared. But no, Woolaton Hall (where there is a really huge Natural History collection that we don't get to visit very often) and then Attenborough for lunch and tree climbing. Who am I to argue?

Woolaton is the most exposed place EVER, think top-of-a-hill-above-Nottingham and then imagine huge grounds and no trees near the house and lots of big stone steps. It is wild and beautiful (and before the sleet started pounding us again we saw the deer, which is always a treat). We got soaked running up to the house (and back again) but it was actually kind of fun.

Then off for lunch, a convenient round trip. We don't usually eat at the Attenborough visitor centre because it's just extravagant on our budget, but when we can we do. It's local and fresh and free-range, the chocolate is fairtrade, and the salads are huge! The sheer quantity of food makes it good value, I suppose, but we don't really eat out very often. (Except Subway after the library lol, which doesn't count. OK it does. But it's SANDWICHES, right?) Anyway, as usual, I digress.We always have to run around outside. No matter how dark and rainy and cold it is. The baby sleeps, snuggled. And it is perfect.The crazies, waiting for Rowan and I to get in, take a portrait of themselves in the car.And I get my choice of tea: butternut squash curry. And nobody complains.There is birthday cake too, because my inlaws bought it for me and sent us home with it when we saw them the day before. The children don't like it (too sweet) but somehow I manage to eat two slices anyway. Hey, it IS my birthday.Though in actual fact, me getting a birthday at all was nearly derailed in the afternoon previous, when Jenna fell out of her bunkbeds when engaged in monkey business with Morgan. She was so sick, and complaining of feeling dizzy, so Martin had to take her to A&E, leaving me nursing the baby and feeling frantic that I couldn't be with her and know that she was OK. She came home on my birthday, at 1am, still very bruised but otherwise unharmed (as you can see from her pictures above). It was a slightly dramatic way to start the day, and to end a blog post, but all is fine. Probably more than fine, as the remaining irritation between her and us evaporated in concern for her wellbeing, and we are as close as we have been in over a week to feeling really contented together.

So, calm and quiet today. I feel like I've had a little holiday actually. :) It can bluster outside all it likes, it's warm and safe in here and I am feeling very loved!