A happy day

After our late night we were surprisingly ok this morning. We’d intended a beach walk but it was raining and raw cold so we had coffee and croissants while the boys played Minecraft and Ella chatted to friends. She’s getting her braces tomorrow - she doesn’t seem worried about it though she’s going to have it for years and then a retainer at night. Her overbite is big enough to get the work done on NHS.

I saw on the local Facebook page that the roads into Rothbury were impassable as there had been a lot of snow so we didn’t head home till early afternoon by which time it was raining and the roads were almost clear.

I made some spiced soup with carrots, onion and parsnips then we read the Saturday Guardian.

I had a look at another present #2 daughter bought me - how to solve cryptic crosswords. I think I’ll come back to that one! I forgot to say James’s favourite present was a notebook that is kept private with a combination lock. He spent a while writing in it and chuckling, saying he was recording details of his weird family.

We’ll be negotiating what to watch tonight. I want to start on Traitors but Mr C is ready for the third episode of Renaissance (which I’m enjoying too).

The collage is Ella with her false nails (she has inherited her mum’s elegant hands), James who was excited the cracker gave him his favourite colour crown, Thomas trying to read his Mythologica book while hugging his new football and his cuddly snow leopard, and Nathaniel with his set of One Piece books. (One Piece is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda and he was desperate to have the first set which were so expensive we said it had to be birthday and Christmas combined). He is so appreciative though and kept thanking me.