And that’s that done.  Kids back to school, all frowns and disappointment that the holiday’s over and done with.  So where did the week go?  It seemed to fly by, that’s for sure.  For me, at least.

I was fortunate this time that my wife had half term off as well and we started off with birthday celebrations and a visit to my folks in Yorkshire.  Studley Royal Deer Park is always worth a visit and this time we were feeding the ducks, the geese, the swans (and their rather beautiful cygnets).  Photos of this courtesy of Thing2 and his Grandma’s camera.

Tuesday we picked my wife up from the station, had a bit of a meander around Peterborough and generally (given that it was a crap morning) did inside stuff – Lego, TV, Rayman Legends.  Now there’s a game that can keep my kids occupied for a long time!

When the weather was good, we sorted out the kids’ bikes from the shed, they rampaged on the trampoline and made up their own games – popcorn boys, lying under the trampoline while the other tried to jump on their face, a variation of football played with an egg-shaped ball and teams on and off the trampoline…  kept them entertained for hours while we gardened.

Thursday was The LEGO Movie.  That should be the subject of another post but for the moment let me just say “Wow!”.  Superb movie, not entirely what I was expecting and the range of LEGO on display went right back to my childhood.  Loved it.

At the end of the holiday we’d built a bike shelter, planted currant bushes, strawberries, Jerusalem Artichokes and garlic.  We’d cleared the bulk of the ivy from the path (if we remove any more we’re in danger of having no hedge at all) and planted honeysuckle in strategic locations.  The kids are happy they’ve got their bikes back and can now cycle to school if they want to.  Well, most of them are.  The youngest 2 can’t pedal properly yet and have yet to make the connection between making the feet go round and round and the bike going forward.  It’s painful to watch!

The bulk of the half-term, we were one kid down, having left Thing1 with her cousin at Grandma and Grandad’s place.  And what a difference just taking one out of the mix makes!  The others, while missing her, just got on and played brilliantly together.

Oh, and we taught the eldest 2 lads a few types of Patience, a game they’ve taken to like a duck to water.  Going to need a few more decks of cards around the house now!