As quickly as they begin they are over – time flies when you’re having fun so I make us soak up all that we can while we are in it so that we can remember afterwards and look forward to the next. I love the holidays and realise that whole for some it is much easier during term time to juggle work and life and sending the kids back to school a bit of a relief, for me I just feel sad and I hate wishing time away but I just can’t wait for summer when I will have them home for a full six weeks of undivided time!
The end of the Easter holidays, (it really annoys me when people call it half term – half term is half way through, the holidays come at the end) has meant going back to school without his lovely teacher for Jimmy and he’s sad. Which makes me sad. Florence is blue because her show is over and she was pouring all her energy into The Sound of Music she feels a bit bereft without it. And for Raffie he’s just as bewildered as I about where everyone has gone… We none of us feel much like going back to school thank you very much!
But we did have an awesome Easter with only a touch of sickness bug and from start to finish, all squished around rehearsals and performances, we packed in the fun! My mum says I never give anyone a rest but who wants to look back and think ‘wasn’t that day awesome when we sat down’ – instead we were at the London Transport Museum, the theatre, the zoo, the beach, the museums in Norfolk, the Sea Life Centre, the cinema, the park… We were all over and we loved it! Here’s some of our Easter highlights which of course also included chocolate!
Jimmy went off on his first beaver camp. We all felt very strange sitting down to eat without him and realised though he eats nothing and moans at every meal, we didn’t like doing it without him. Florence missed him and when he came home and she was at rehearsals he was missing her! Love my babies going off and having fun without me just… Oh I’d rather they were having fun WITH me that’s all!They all three posed by the ‘posing train’, as I like to call it and have had all three of them stand for a picture at varying ages, at the London Transport Museum!Raffie looked a bit lost stood there on his own! They’re better in numbers my trio of three is the magic number babies!Gram came with us to London!And did a bit of Instagram husbandry for us taking pictures – this was outside the Southbank Centre!Where we went to see Tabby McTat!Followed by an impromptu gig in the foyer of the Southbank Centre as we ate lunch! The band were called ‘Rocktopus’ and were family friendly!We visited the Leake Street tunnel for a bit of Insta posery!Think we’ll have this one for our album cover!Little Jimmy! So cool! This can be his album cover!Although Raffie didn’t like him being so high up on the bins and wanted to rescue him!We loved this wall!It was lovely taking the big kids to Gymboree and they loved looking after Raffie!Larking about at the Bridewell Museum in Norwich – part of the Norfolk Museums!More Bridewell fun with friends!Having just seen My First Circus: The Littlest Mermaid!Eating chips on Norwich market!Having fun on the bumper cars in Hunstanton!Hunstanton Sea Life Centre is ace!Mum came with us to the Sea Life Centre in Hunstanton!We LOVED this Sea Life Centre with its seal hospital right on the beach!Then we HAD to have an ice cream – well, when at the beach!We also had a brilliant day at Roarr Dinosaur Adventure with friends!Where the kids went mental and entered the splash zone even though it was only 9 degrees!Cold but the went for it!We LOVE the dino park!They have high ropes now too which are awesome!And there’s something for all ages – it’s just brilliant!We also went to Pensthorpe Natural park with my friend Emily and her brood!The kiddos loved feeding the ducks!Look at the babies!Eve Jimmy wasn’t scared – they usually all are!Although shortly after this picture was taken Raffie did inadvertently boot a baby duckling – it was ok, it righted itself and was fine – phew!Just another lovely day!This was at Willows farm in St Albans – another cold but fun day – this time with Daddy and Florence’s friend!Daddy’s are the best at bouncy castles!He bloody loves guinea pigs – the answer is still no!On the Willows Easter egg hunt!He had no idea these eggs would mean chocolate at the end!When he worked it out he was very pleased – as were the big kids!Fun on the fairground rides!And slides! I took Raffie on this and he did NOT like it – bad Mummy!Happy pals!And a lamb just minutes born!Both boys loved being at London zoo too!The boys and I went to London Zoo while Florence had to stay home and rehearse for her show. The Sound of Music. We wouldn’t have gone without her out of choice but it was a worky thing and I’m so lucky to be invited to such fab events for the purpose of work that I couldn’t turn it down!Both so independent – look at Raffie’s face saying ‘DON’T CATCH ME!’Jimmy was so good with him – even more grown up without Florence around and he took on the role of the biggest with glee!Jimmy eating SO much ice cream at the George at Asda Easter party!The Pygmy Hippos have always been our favourite at London Zoo!Jimmy said ‘hold my hand Raffie’!In between climbing on every statue we came across!I wonder what they were having a chat about?!The train journey home was NOT fun! £117 for a return to London and we had to sit on the floor!A glorious day at Gressenhall for Good Friday!Where the sun finally made an appearance and we all boiled!Shortly after this Raffie fell off the board walk – my fault for looking down at my phone. I need eyes in the back of my head! He now has a scratch on his beautiful face poor baby!FINALLY a day for ice cream!And a need to find some shade!And go river dipping where of course, Jimmy dipped his foot in the river too!An Easter egg hunt with the kids wearing their Easter lamb head bands – well, why not?!Badly lit picture but I finally caught him smiling while wearing the ears and not eating chocolate (as he had to be bribed with to wear them)!Hunting for the goodies!We even got the paddling pool out it became hotter than Spain!From freezing (and I mean freezing) at Pensthorpe one week to basking in the paddling pool the next – only in England!Easter Sunday was one of those days where nothing much goes on but it’s all rather glorious. Taking river dipping to the next level here near where we live!I mean it was cold in the river but do children even feel the cold?!I had to stand on the bank in my swimming costume in case anyone needed me to go in and rescue them but the others watched from the bridge!Oh and they had fun!We all did, just being in the sunshine!Paddling!What fun!
And probably the most important thing which happened over the holidays was our darling girl playing Marta in The Sound of Music at the Norwich Playhouse for the Norfolk Youth Music Theatre. This was a group I was in as a youngster and a place where I met friends that I am still good pals with now. I am so pleased that Florence finds passion in the same things that I do and beyond proud of her for her dedication which is unrelenting – not once did she complain about all day and late night rehearsals – and easily as gifted as any of the teens and young men and women in the show and also for her talent. I may be biased but she was simply wonderful – this girl… Oh she’s a bit of a star already but mark my words… Her name will be in lights! You can read the Norwich Evening News review of the show here!
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