And getting back up to date!
Monday After much rejigging of our schedule according to various changes we arrived at our second location of the tour which was still in the Manchester area, this time with our ex-boss. We went via The Trafford Centre shopping mall where we used to work and drove by our old house where Teeny was born. Both children slept during the journey so were refreshed and ready for playing on the climbing frame and trampoline belonging to their daughter F who was still at school when we arrived. She came home and the three children had a lovely afternoon before being wrestled into bed fairly early as it was a school night for F.
Tuesday Up bright and early we headed off with Miranda to a local ice cream farm where there was a variety of farmyard animals including a donkey, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, geese and turkeys, as well as peacocks, cats with kittens and lots of very free range chicks and ducks. We watched day old lambs being top up fed by the farmer, played for ages and ages with the kittens (two litters - one about a month old, the other just over a week) and had ice cream made on site in exotic flavours.
We left there and had a very picturesque walk along a river bank with the children collecting caught sheeps fleece off the trees and fences and me showing Teeny how to play ‘poohsticks’ using leaves when we came upon a bridge over the river. Lots of chat about currents, where rivers go and why they are not salty and why the sea is and we followed the river for a time as the road back ran parallel.
We went back for lunch and then headed off for destination number three of Joyce, Bob and Hannah in Scotland.
On the way I had a phonecall from my Mum to say our cat had been found, recovering from a dreadful hit from a car at a local vets. She would be allowed home on Friday evening so we needed to cut our trip short and be home ready to collect her. 
but 
for her being found alive.
A lovely evening at Joyce’s with the children playing in the garden, A watching football and Joyce and I enjoying the last of the sunshine in their garden accompanied by Pimms!
Wednesday A truly lovely day spent in Joyce’s garden. The children played with sand, water, the pool, the trampoline, the climbing frame and a short film break while we just enjoyed the sunshine and Joyce’s splendid hospitality.
Thursday After a leisurely breakfast with Joyce and Bob we set off for the final destination on our truncated tour which was Kirsty and James’. We had a lovely afternoon and evening there with the children exploring the fab grounds of their house and more trampolining (3/4 of the houses we went to had one - infact the one which didn’t was a child free house - wish we had the space and cash for one, they are fab! ). A very late night for the children with us not long afterwards in preparation for a very long drive home the next day.
Friday We set off before 10am for the 500 mile drive home. It was long, boring and thanks to hitting the M25 at rush hour on Friday when there was accidents aplenty making it even worse than usual it took a full 10 hours to get home. The children had both slept in the car on the way for at least part of the journey (unsurprisingly) so they sat up with us and had fish and chips before being packed off to bed late. I think Monster fell asleep after A had gone to bed. I stayed up ’til gone 2am catching up online 
We ended up arriving home too late to collect the cat from the vets but arranged to collect her for a weekend home visit on Saturday.
Monster did discover during the journey that opal fruits (or whatever they’re being called these days) and Werthers chewy toffees can be used as edible modelling materials and spent ages creating a whole range of fruits and other things, experimenting with mixing colours and so on. He then ate them all 
.
Saturday Dominated by collecting our cat from the vets. She is pretty badly injured although should recover aside from her sight. She still has one eye sewn shut and little or no sight in the other - time will tell if she remains blind or not. She will probably have to go back into the vets again tomorrow as she is not really eating or drinking yet (she was being tube fed in the vets all week) but it has been lovely to have her home and the children are being very good little veterinary assistants with some very practical experiences in dealing with pet ownership, how lives are compromised by loss of sight and how the other senses are used more to compensate.
Sunday Further caring for our cat, lots of plasticine playing, some baking (peanut butter cookies and chocolate fairy cakes), some playing in the garden and some sorting out of videos to tidy the front room a bit and add to our growing pile of stuff to go on ebay. A is off work for another week so depending on our cat (who has an appointment at the vets in the morning) - and the weather - we may be off out for day trips and picnics.
