Genevieve and James were whisked off early in the morning to spend the day with Grandma Lindsey and Grandad Lawrie, and to have a sleepover too. They were very excited about completing the journey in their unicorn and Peter Rabbit onesies, but I really don’t get the attraction of travelling in sleepwear. Megan and I went to a “pyjama party” in London organised by Genevieve’s godmother Hannah back in 2012. I’d bought a pair of checked pyjama bottoms from M&S for the occasion and it felt exceedingly weird being out in public wearing them. I was soon put at ease as the cocktails started flowing, but I won’t be repeating the experience any time soon!
The following was written by Grandad Lawrie.
Having seen how much both Genevieve and James have enjoyed playing with the Mega Bloks ‘Dread Eyes Phantom Pirate Ship’ we decided to buy another one on eBay to allow for skeletons to crew one ship and mermaids the other. This proved to be an instant hit and provided several hours of play during the day. The fact that each ship now has five cannons is an additional bonus.
As it was Auntie Susa’s birthday, Grandma Lindsey had made some jelly so that the children could be recorded singing ‘Jelly on a Plate’ along with Happy Birthday – with the video then sent to Ibiza via WhatsApp. The added benefit was that the jelly was served for lunchtime pudding with extra squirty cream. Susa telephoned later in the day to thank Genevieve and James for their very animated and exuberant birthday wishes; she was very clearly delighted with their efforts.
After lunch, it was felt that everyone needed some exercise in the garden. Genevieve and James immediately spotted some mushrooms that had popped up in the flower bed around the pond. This caused quite a lot of excitement but, once it was explained that they were probably poisonous and that eating them would result in a hospital visit, the shine rubbed off the idea of picking them for Mummy and Daddy’s dinner!
James then decided it was time for a bear hunt. So a number of cuddly toys were collected to be hidden around the garden by the children – some more obviously hidden than others. It was difficult not to immediately find the one left in the middle of the lawn. However, we all enjoyed singing ‘We’re going on a Bear Hunt’, and Genevieve and James had fun shouting out “warmer” or “colder” as Grandma Lindsey and Grandad Lawrie were directed with enthusiasm around the garden looking for the hidden toys.
Dinner of fish fingers, waffles and sweetcorn followed by ice cream was a great hit, and two very tired children were happy to go off to bed after they had chosen and been read their bed-time stories. It was quite touching that Genevieve had chosen ‘The Things I Love About Grandparents’.
Megan and I both worked during the morning, after which I went for my daily recovery nap as I was overly tired after my first “full” week back at work (admittedly only working mornings). Megan continues to be amazingly supportive and encouraging, but I can’t wait until I can make it though a day without having to rest. I clearly still need the midday sleeps as I deteriorate quickly without them, but I could really do without them and I can’t help but feel guilty about not contributing fully to family life. Post-COVID life is not fun – wear your masks folks!
Megan was busy in the kitchen as I slept upstairs. She was seeing friends for dinner later that evening so made a batch of chocolate chip cookies to take for pudding. I say “chocolate chip”, but from my point of view they were far more indulgent than that. Megan’s recipe called for whole bars of Kinder chocolate chopped in to massive chunks (rather than chips) that were layered on top of the cookie mix. As a result, each cookie ended up with, I would estimate, over half a bar of chocolate on top. Dare I say it, but I believe that to be a tad decadent! Then again, I’m not a dessert person so perhaps my opinion wasn’t really valid on this occasion.
I dropped Megan off for her (adequately socially distanced) dinner in her friend Bethan’s garden before heading home to order my own dinner. I’d been hankering for a Chinese takeaway for a while, so I took the plunge and ordered a mini feast via an app. I’m still coming to terms with the likes of Deliveroo and Just Eat – apparently I’m meant to be a “digital native” but for some reason it feels weird ordering food this way.
The first online food experience I remember was ordering a Domino’s pizza online in Seattle (probably in 2008/2009). I was amazed as it gave me live updates on who was making my pizza, who was tending to it in the oven, who was packaging it up, and where the delivery person was as they drove to my hotel. It all seems so normal now, but it was frankly mind-blowing back then!
Sadly my Chinese meal didn’t live up to expectations as it was lacklustre at best and the chow mein lacked any flavour, but a hearty dash of soy sauce meant that it still dealt with the MSG itch I’d had for the past few weeks.
I picked Megan up just after 11pm. She’d had a wonderful time catching up with her friends which made me very happy indeed, but I was less thrilled when I heard about how delicious her home-cooked curry was. Maybe my takeaway itch will need scratching again sooner than I expected…
The Smiths Family Blog 
Sounds more like cookie chip chocolate
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