No pics for this one.......yet! must get on to the birthday girl for some!!! Had a fab weekend in Harpenden....yes I know.....somewhat extravagant flying the whole clan back for the weekend......£97 flights sounded a bargain.........until you multiply it out!!!!! Anyway it was sooooo worth it........took the kids out of school for the Friday (tut tut!)........and at last lux flies direct to heathrow.........one big advantage of lux is how easy the travel to airport situ is.......4 miles and can park almost in the departure lounge!!!!!!!! a breeze...........and very civilised times for a change!!
Arrived in good old Harpenden by 8.30-ish and this time we were staying with Terry & Pete..........wine at the ready for soon as we arrived..........perfecto!!! get kids off to bed quick sharp and the wine weekend starts in earnest!
Not sure what being back in Harpenden does to little Ruby...once again she's up with the larks.......but it doesn't darken my mood.......yet!!!! So what to do for the day with all other kids at school.........drag them round the shops seems like a plan!! Well - ruby is absoluely DESPERATE for some new shoes........and sandals.......poor love had the same pair since Christmas.......anyway....worth waiting for......couldn't decide and needed to cover all weather possibilities........could bloody rain all summer....so she ended up with 3 pairs..........a girl after my own heart :-) oh yes......and i did get myself a new pair too!!
Kids surprisingly good for a day shopping (lost count of amount of treat bribes along the way!!) although they did have a slap-up lunch choc ice cream and all in carluccios....a favourite haunt of mine :-) Feeling rather saintly for getting the bus to st. albans....hmmm....braving public transport with 3 kids including pesky one in a buggy looking for any excuse to escape (shaun needed car to get to work.........would feel a bit harsh sending him out to slough on a number of trains at 6.30am in the morning!) so anyway we had done our bit for the bank account and feeling weary, kids had enough and bags to carry......we got in the nearest cab and had to be back in time to be in the school playground anyway!! Feasible excuse I say!
So a reasonably successful trip......until half way home I don't seem to be able to find my phone.......SHIT............don't tell me i've lost it after the bloody ordeal i had to get it working again!!! about to tell the taxi driver to turn around so we can go back and look for it (definitely not in my timetable for the day!) when he kindly suggests he'll phone it for me.......hey presto.........it's in my lap the whole time........a real blonde moment for someone no longer blonde!!!!!!
Great to see everyone again in the playground and as ever - never enough time to chat! Conor goes off for a playdate and sleepover which he has been waiting all day for (ust have made the shopping trip more bearable knowing what was to look forward to !!!!!!) and Millie, Ruby and I head off to another playdate with wine o'clock starting slightly earlier than normal at 4pm and all 10 of us end up at Billy's for the kids tea :-))) Millie having a ball back with her bosom buddies :-))
The big weekend continues with a night out at the local curry house and far too much alcohol consumed (again!) and the party night hasn't even arrived!!
Saturday is spent just like old times in the park with the girls and their friends and an impromtpu BBQ lunch - weather being very kind and the sun shone all day.......although temperatures seem to be dropping fast :-( After my much-needed visit to the hairdressers it's party time :-))))
Fab 40th party and a great opportunity for me to catch up with loads of people...........the 6.30am starts gonna hit hard after yet another late night........ended up having quick night cap at friends where I was poured (no joke!) a tumbler full of amaretto!!!??!?!?!? a person obviously drunker than me! even I couldn't finish that one!!
So I think I managed about 16 hours sleep across 3 nights........NOT ENOUGH! REALLY struggling at the airport sitting having lunch.........just wanted to find somewhere to lie down! Couldn't even face looking in the shops!! Worse was to come! As we queue to board the plane.........3 Amazon employees (1 of whom is Shaun's boss from Seattle!!!) appear in the same line.....aghhhhh.......already thinking ahead and Ruby is way beyond tired as I've been holding her sleep out so she will sleep on the plane...................but as we all know...........over-tired babies, limited space...........equals misery and screaming before they drop off..........oh yes.......didn't the WHOLE plane know it! As we all sit ready for take-off and the plane is quiet...........with the exception that is of Ruby REALLY REALLY screaming! Ruby and I sitting about 6 rows behind Shaun and kids.........not sure whether that good or bad but there was no going back.......I had to peservere and get her to sleep or the whole journey was going to be hellish!!! Not so bad in the end........only high-pitched screaming for 20 minutes of the journey......felt like 20 hours of course! Anyway - I had a lovely nap after that :-))))) I did get a few comments on "good lungs"etc etc on our exit!!!!!!
A fab weekend :-)
PS: takes me most of the next week to recover!
Arrived in good old Harpenden by 8.30-ish and this time we were staying with Terry & Pete..........wine at the ready for soon as we arrived..........perfecto!!! get kids off to bed quick sharp and the wine weekend starts in earnest!
Not sure what being back in Harpenden does to little Ruby...once again she's up with the larks.......but it doesn't darken my mood.......yet!!!! So what to do for the day with all other kids at school.........drag them round the shops seems like a plan!! Well - ruby is absoluely DESPERATE for some new shoes........and sandals.......poor love had the same pair since Christmas.......anyway....worth waiting for......couldn't decide and needed to cover all weather possibilities........could bloody rain all summer....so she ended up with 3 pairs..........a girl after my own heart :-) oh yes......and i did get myself a new pair too!!
Kids surprisingly good for a day shopping (lost count of amount of treat bribes along the way!!) although they did have a slap-up lunch choc ice cream and all in carluccios....a favourite haunt of mine :-) Feeling rather saintly for getting the bus to st. albans....hmmm....braving public transport with 3 kids including pesky one in a buggy looking for any excuse to escape (shaun needed car to get to work.........would feel a bit harsh sending him out to slough on a number of trains at 6.30am in the morning!) so anyway we had done our bit for the bank account and feeling weary, kids had enough and bags to carry......we got in the nearest cab and had to be back in time to be in the school playground anyway!! Feasible excuse I say!
So a reasonably successful trip......until half way home I don't seem to be able to find my phone.......SHIT............don't tell me i've lost it after the bloody ordeal i had to get it working again!!! about to tell the taxi driver to turn around so we can go back and look for it (definitely not in my timetable for the day!) when he kindly suggests he'll phone it for me.......hey presto.........it's in my lap the whole time........a real blonde moment for someone no longer blonde!!!!!!
Great to see everyone again in the playground and as ever - never enough time to chat! Conor goes off for a playdate and sleepover which he has been waiting all day for (ust have made the shopping trip more bearable knowing what was to look forward to !!!!!!) and Millie, Ruby and I head off to another playdate with wine o'clock starting slightly earlier than normal at 4pm and all 10 of us end up at Billy's for the kids tea :-))) Millie having a ball back with her bosom buddies :-))
The big weekend continues with a night out at the local curry house and far too much alcohol consumed (again!) and the party night hasn't even arrived!!
Saturday is spent just like old times in the park with the girls and their friends and an impromtpu BBQ lunch - weather being very kind and the sun shone all day.......although temperatures seem to be dropping fast :-( After my much-needed visit to the hairdressers it's party time :-))))
Fab 40th party and a great opportunity for me to catch up with loads of people...........the 6.30am starts gonna hit hard after yet another late night........ended up having quick night cap at friends where I was poured (no joke!) a tumbler full of amaretto!!!??!?!?!? a person obviously drunker than me! even I couldn't finish that one!!
So I think I managed about 16 hours sleep across 3 nights........NOT ENOUGH! REALLY struggling at the airport sitting having lunch.........just wanted to find somewhere to lie down! Couldn't even face looking in the shops!! Worse was to come! As we queue to board the plane.........3 Amazon employees (1 of whom is Shaun's boss from Seattle!!!) appear in the same line.....aghhhhh.......already thinking ahead and Ruby is way beyond tired as I've been holding her sleep out so she will sleep on the plane...................but as we all know...........over-tired babies, limited space...........equals misery and screaming before they drop off..........oh yes.......didn't the WHOLE plane know it! As we all sit ready for take-off and the plane is quiet...........with the exception that is of Ruby REALLY REALLY screaming! Ruby and I sitting about 6 rows behind Shaun and kids.........not sure whether that good or bad but there was no going back.......I had to peservere and get her to sleep or the whole journey was going to be hellish!!! Not so bad in the end........only high-pitched screaming for 20 minutes of the journey......felt like 20 hours of course! Anyway - I had a lovely nap after that :-))))) I did get a few comments on "good lungs"etc etc on our exit!!!!!!
A fab weekend :-)
PS: takes me most of the next week to recover!
