Picnic in the rain

Running to the gazebo in the rain

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The rain once again threatened our plans for a picnic this afternoon. It wasn't raining very heavily, but enough to make a picnic in the countryside an unpleasant prospect. Rather than cancel our plans, we relocated the picnic to the Podlings' gazebo in the back garden. We packed up the hamper with goodies and made a quick dash across the garden to the shelter of gazebo. We zipped up the door and enjoyed our outdoor picnic while the rain pattered gently on the roof. We had a lovely time and, when the rain got heavier, we didn't have far to go home!

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The picnic

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The girls

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The boys

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Windows of the soul

“I have looked into your eyes with my eyes. I have put my heart near your heart.” ~ Pope John XXIII

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Lily has the most beautifully expressive eyes. They are such a dark brown they are almost black and are framed with long, dark lashes. She'll melt a few hearts with those orbs when she's older.
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Baby love

I adore this little girl. I just can't get enough of her!

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The secret garden

After leaving our favourite library this afternoon, we realised that Emma's next feed was imminent. We only had twenty five minutes left on our parking ticket, so we didn't really have time to head to a cafe. Mark suddenly spotted a beautiful public garden just down the road that we have never previously noticed, despite regular trips to the library. We sat down on a shaded bench and Mark read some of our new library books to Tom and Lily whilst they munched on apples and I fed Emma. The flower beds in the garden were stunning and I can't believe we've never noticed it before. I would have loved to have conducted a Podling photo shoot, but we had to rush back to the car to avoid a parking ticket. I managed to snap a couple of pictures though, including this fabulous one of Lily:

I asked her to stand in front of the flowers and smile and this cheesy grin is what she delivered. She loves to have her picture taken and is quite the little poser!
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I'm hoping to be able to go back to the garden again while the flowers are still in bloom and take some more photos. You can never have enough pictures of your children. They grow so quickly and I want to record every precious moment of their childhood.
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A bramble ramble

The Podlings and I took advantage of the dry weather today and went blackberry picking. There are several bramble patches in the hedgerows near our house, so we don't have far to go to gather our harvest. It is still early in the season, so there weren't that many ripe berries today. However, we managed to pick enough for Tom to come home with a purple mouth and still have enough berries left for our tea. I made an apple and blackberry crumble when we got home, which we ate hot with custard for pudding. Heavenly!
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Given the number of unripe berries on the bushes, we should have a bumper crop of blackberries later in the season. Last year, no one else in the area seemed to be picking them, so we only have the birds for competition. I see homemade blackberry jam in my future!
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Tom loves to pick blackberries and knows exactly which ones to pick and which to leave on the bush.

"Emma, we picking blackberries"
Lily explains the purpose of our excursion to her baby sister

Tom and Lily seem to eat as many berries as they put in the basket and generally snack on them all the way home too. It's a wonder I ever have any left to cook with!

Bless this mess

The two-person demolition crew that is Tom and Lily were on top form today. We started the day with a tidy playroom and this is the scene shortly after lunch. Pretty impressive, even by their standards!
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Enjoying the great indoors

Enjoying their picnic in the conservatory.

We had planned to drive out to Tittesworth Reservoir (near Leek) this afternoon for a picnic in the park, but a last minute change in the weather forced us to alter our plans. Tom and Lily had their hearts set on a picnic, but the rain seemed set to make that a less than enjoyable experience. We had everything ready, so we put some blankets down in the conservatory and laid all the food out. The Podlings seemed quite happy with their indoor picnic followed by a game of hide and seek with Daddy. One has to learn to adapt when living at the mercy of the British climate!
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