I Feel Free

It seems like forever since I felt well enough to actually go out. Ironically, I believe that my first 'day out' seems to have coincided with that of our Majesty the Queen. May I say now that despite the common denominator we share (having nasty colds and missing key church services) we are not the same person, as has been suggested by a couple of people. Needless to say, Her Majesty has my most heartfelt sympathy, being unwell is not fun at all, but at least us peasants don't have people making assumptions about our health in the media.

Anyway, as usual I have digressed; what I was wanting to say, was I feel as though I have been stuck inside the house coughing and spluttering forever and the longer I've been here, the smaller it seems to have become, until I feel a little like that bird in a cage.

Today, however, I was determined, for myself and the girls that we were going out!

Now, I have to say from the start that I am one of those parents who is not averse to bribery. Ooh, I can almost hear the sharp intake of breath, but bear with me here and I'll explain. I have a tween and a teen, as you may know, and when they get a little bit older they start to develop very clear ideas of what they do or not want to do. Today, I knew I was going to have to offer a carrot because I was asking them to do something I knew they really wouldn't want to do...go to church! Miss. L was less keen, but Miss. D was fabulous, before I'd even mentioned the incentive she was agreeing to go purely because she knew how much it meant to me having missed so many weeks due to being a germ hotel. When I mentioned the 'thank you' treat, she was up and out of bed quicker than I could have imagined. Yes folks, a visit to Creams, post church is all it takes to get a teen out of bed!

It was so good to get back, I'd really missed seeing everyone at church and taking time out to just sit, listen and contemplate. Not to mention having a good old (somewhat croaky) sing and the girls enjoyed the cake after the service. They weren't supposed to have cake, since we were going to Creams, but cake they had before we set off to our much prized treat.

Now, every time I have visited Creams there has been a massive queue outside, so when we didn't see a line spilling out of the entrance, I did wonder if I'd got the opening times right. I needn't have worried, it appears that if you are intending to visit, the best time to go is a Sunday lunchtime, it is practically empty!

I was spitting feathers (as the saying goes) by this point, so a much needed cup of tea was top of my picks and, may I say, it was a rather super cuppa. Miss. D opted for a Maltesers milkshake, her friend had the Snickers milkshake and Miss. L opted for the ever exciting bottle of still water. I thought she'd gone a little crazy, but given her choice of dessert, it was probably the sensible option.

 Yes, Miss. L had the most enormous Oreo Sundae I have ever seen in my life. I knew she wasn't going to finish it, but she gave it a good go. I was pleased I'd opted for the crepe though, although Nutella and Banana was also rather filling...

...but no where near as filling as the waffles which the other two girls went for.

Strawberry and Nutella

Hungry Jack - Apple and Custard

The Hungry Jack, which Miss. D chose smelt absolutely delicious with the cinnamon topping, but with the lashings of hot custard, it also looked a bit, well sickly, for want of a better word and I was convinced that my eldest was not going to even make a dent in this waffle. Well, guess what? She demolished it leaving only one of two mouthfuls. Which given the rest of us were well and truly beaten by our desserts was a jolly good show!

We really did have a fabulous day, full of fun and laughter (and just teensy bit of sugar). Yes the singing and the laughing made me cough, but it felt so good to get out of the house and spread my wings a bit. More importantly, we were all together and it really doesn't get any better than that.