Thursday photo #327

For the first time since lockdown, I’m having to consult my diary to remember what we’ve been up to this week. It has been remarkably busy. When we were in full lockdown, I appreciated the break from constantly being on the go. But now that we’re easing ourselves back into life gently, I’m quite enjoying it. It’s great to see the children playing with their friends again and to start catching up with some friends myself.

The best version of normal

It has been interesting to see how different places have interpreted the covid compliance rules. We’ve been for a couple of days out this week to places the children always enjoy. It was lovely to meet Joy at Cob House on Monday. We enjoyed a coffee and a cake while the girls tucked into an ice cream. The café was open indoors as well as outdoors, but the children’s park was closed. It’s only a small park, but the girls love it and they were gutted it wasn’t open. Thankfully, we could still go and see the animals which is always a treat.

A few days later, we had another brilliant day out with friends. This time we opted for the Orchard Café at Worcester Woods Country Park. There, they have taken the opposite approach to Cob House. The café is takeaway only, with outdoor seating. Entry to the building is to use the toilet block only. The children’s park is fully open, as are the woods and the little children’s train. We much preferred this option. The children were able to run around and play and we could still have lunch there whilst remaining outside.

The good girl and the missing shoe

On Saturday, we popped to Bristol to see my husband’s family. First stop was a picnic at Portishead. The children and the dog all coped well with the heat and lack of shade, but they were baking. So, I took them down to the water to dip their feet in. It’s not somewhere you can swim and the edge of the water is incredibly muddy and boggy but it was ideal for paddling to cool off.

The girls both had water shoes on, so it seemed sensible to leave those on. That is until Libby lost a shoe. Lots of shouting and screaming followed as the shoe gently bobbed away. I didn’t fancy going up to my knees in muddy water to retrieve it. Thankfully, Bubbles was much more amenable to the idea and with a little encouragement, she went paddling off after the shoe and returned it safely to its owner. What a good girl.

After that, it was time for the rest of us to have a proper dip. We headed to the beautiful Clevedon Marine Lake. For some reason it’s busier in August than the last time I went which was January. But the children loved it and it was great to see them swimming again.

The girls were none the worse for wear for their little scare when Libby’s shoe escaped at Portishead.