Living In N.Ireland we are very well used to summers of rain, rain and more rain maybe even with a storm thrown in for good measure, what we don’t get too much of is sunshine. While listening to UK weather forecasts we get to hear of the beautiful weather London and other places in England are getting while ours normally says rain showers.
Yesterday was a public holiday and as with most companies my office was closed both yesterday and today. Due to the fact that roads etc would be closed yesterday we didn’t do much and stayed about the house. This morning I woke up expecting a grim day as I felt awful. My food intolerance’s had kicked in and I hadn’t taken my piriton before bed and so as a result between the kids waking up numerous times and the fact my head was bunged up I have little sleep.
At lunchtime I decided to make a picnic for my two to see i getting them outside would cheer them up- you would have thought I had suggested something awful K went into a major strop while Buster sat outside eating away happy as could be. K finally settled herself and started to eat. At this point I realised it was boiling outside so went and braved going to the outbuildings- we have a dog and I am not a doggy person so don’t tend to go out the back too often. In the outbuildings were a fold up kitchen for the playhouse which the kids didn’t know existed and a paddling pool which again they didn’t know about. The kitchen had been there over a year, the paddling pool maybe three years!
I brought out my finds and K changed into her normal happy self and got Buster all excited about the pool. We started to fill the thing and I realised why it had taken so long for me to set it up! After probably 1 1/2 I let the kids get in while it continued to fill. After about 2 hours I gave up and decided it had enough water in it. Some boiling water didn’t do much to heat it up but my two had a ball.
After about an hour their uncle and two cousins came round. S jumped straight in and had a ball, a water fight soon got started and Buster soaked everyone! They finally decided to get out just before hypothermia set in! Buster couldn’t stop shivering but didn’t want to come out.
They then went and played on the play frame for a while and I promised as soon as we had got a replacement net for the trampoline (any ideas where I can source a 12ft one?) they could come back round for the day to play.
Once our visitors left K and Buster were exhausted Buster could hardly keep his eyes open. They had a fantastic day and best thing of all it didn’t cost a penny. K and Buster have lovely olive skins and even though they were covered in suncream have both got a lovely tan, as for me I have lovely white marks from my dress which will look great in a vest top- can you tell I am not a sun lover so not used to being out in it for so long!
The pool is still up waiting for MrR to come home and figure out how to drain it, I was going to put the cover on and leave it but the man who looks after our garden was round and put down very strong weedkiller tonight and advised that we should empty it.
