*good to be back!*

Goodness, it feels like I've been away from blogland for days, when in fact it was only last Friday - which, I suppose, is five days, but it seems like a lot longer. We had an enjoyable, but very wet weekend in Brighton with my SIL, BIL and our two nephews. I love Brighton when the sun's shining; this weekend it was dull, grey, cold and decidedly miserable-looking!! Just as we were leaving on Monday morning, the sun came out...typical! Anyway, we spent Saturday afternoon at the leisure centre at Burgess Hill, plummeting down the water slides and generally messing about in the water. The children had a wonderful time; I was ever-conscious of the fact that, having shoe-horned myself into my bathing costume, there was always the chance that some part of my ample person was going to pop out at an inopportune moment. It detracted from my enjoyment slightly. We spent Sunday having a roast dinner at a pub on the Marina, followed by a highly competitive game of ten-pin bowling - with eight of us playing, it took ages to complete just the one game. F was ahead for the duration, her lead only threatened at the last minute by her daddy, who was making a storming comeback...until I promised him I'd kick him in the shins if he overtook her. He gallantly muffed his last two bowls, and she won by one point!! She was none the wiser. I came last.

Because the weather was so appalling, we didn't take many photographs. There were no opportunities to get the children outside, so the few that we did take were in the house where, of course, the lighting wasn't brilliant.


F and her elder cousin, J - kindred spirits, gentle and calm.



A, looking decidedly strawberry blonde!


I'm just off now to catch up with all of my regular blog reads, which have been neglected since the end of last week. We're enjoying a quiet half-term, here on the blossom trail; I have just signed up to an organic veg/fruit box delivery scheme, but more of that tomorrow...