Happy Birthday Ben!

(for tomorrow)

On Saturday our early start up North didn’t quite happen, but quite a lot of grumping and some shouting did instead. The postcard saying we had some undelivered packages at the post office raised our hopes, but then the packages turned out to be socks and hankies and not the present for Ben, so we weren’t the happiest of bunnies.

We finally got there (after me choosing a route that had an irritating amount of single carriageway) to reviving cups of tea for the adults and reviving joining a horde of partying children for the younger members of the family. I managed to not get us (minus Katy and A, who stayed behind to help organise part 2) lost on the way to party part 1. It was a largely Dads + children trip to a wood / park / disused quarry for an autumnal run around, picnic and dinosaur / Kinder egg hunt. The weather and surroundings were beautiful, the children well-behaved and happy, and they even shouted well to help the MonsterMinxes home in on us when they arrived after us. Everyone got an egg which was consumed and played with satisfactorily, and then all back to base for party part 2 and me cleaning dog poo off J’s shoes (nice).

Part 2 was random playing, Katy improvising dinosaur-based games that kept people happy for quite a while, eating more food on an impressive dinosaur table cloth on the floor and then watching The Land Before Time. The adults played pass the A. There was an impressive dinosaurs and volcano cake and the obligatory surfeit of pizza. After most people had left and our lot were in bed (but not asleep) the dads (Chris, Ady, James and me) were in one room watching England losing valiantly at rugby, while the mums did something in the kitchen, I think along the lines of chatting.

I finally left Katy, Barbara and Nic chatting at half past midnight, and I think they came to bed at half past three. Just right for L to wake Katy up at half six (nice). I took our lot downstairs with other sleep-averse children to watch cartoons what felt like far too early. Gradually the other adults surfaced and Katy turned left over cheese sandwiches into fantastic eggy cheesy bread (I dread to think what they do to your arteries, but they were amazing and no-one was given the chance to eat too many as there were many people joining in).

Then church for some – J and K weren’t used to the incense and the sitting for the hymns but standing for the prayers. Then off to visit some Kentwellies and their new baby, back to BabsAndChrisCentral for a nice very late lunch. The journey back was OK, although we stopped at possibly the world’s slowest Little Chef – which could have done well as part of a nuclear reactor. Thanks Babs and Chris for what was a very nice weekend (despite the grumpiness we organised for ourselves with some help from Little Chef), and Happy Birthday Ben.