I chose the cheapest option as far as rail fares, which meant I had a very leisurely (long?!) 3hr journey up north. Still, I was able to gaze out the window and listen to my ipod, so it was quite relaxing. I was met by a crowd of wavers at Alsager, which always makes me feel special. So, after a quick lunch, we went to a petting farm. Lynda and I decided it was a bit of a swiz really. The farmer charges you to buy a bag of food to feed to his animals...hmmm. Still, the girls enjoyed it, and the adventure playground (although Mae did have a rather nasty accident with a swing and a bigger boy and there were the makings of a black eye the next day!). I particularly enjoyed watching the girls run and jump around in the hay shed as it reminded me of the times as a child that Robert and I would pull apart grandad's hay shed and then get a little bit told off for putting tunnels through it etc. But, it goes to show that all the technology in the world can't be more fun than playing in a hay shed. It's the simple things! I also really enjoyed my farm shop ice cream. I had to have a double scoop - one of honeycomb and one of strawberries & cream. Yum. I'm not sure there will be much ice cream for me in Rwanda, especially since I have no fridge or freezer.
So, after lots of playing and feeding at the farm, we headed home to play with play-dough and do some drawing. All of my favourite things. And then before I knew it, it was bedtime. Not mine, though. So Lynda and I left the girls with Chris and went for a very scrumptious dinner. I managed to completely stuff myself. I had been threatened with some early morning jumping on my bed for the next morning, so it was with some fear that I awoke at 7:30 when I could hear signs of life from upstairs. Happily a containment plan was in place and the threatened bed disturbances did not happen until 8:30. And rather than jumping on me, they involved tunelling under my bed. Following various domestic chores, more play-dough and a game of Fairy School (where I was a very disobedient student for Mae), and a visit from the postman - who arrived with an atlas so we could all look at where Rwanda was and how many countries away it is (who would have sent such a gift...?), we went to the park. Of course, this being the north, it had started to rain. But it was just a bit showery, so we put on our raincoats (and me: jumper, scarf, socks) and went to the park. To play on the swings - my arms still ache!
And then last night, I had Mark and Leanne over for dinner. I'm going to miss them very much and although I will see them again before I go, they came for some food and to collect some stuff. I have managed to convince Leanne to "look after" my Amelia Peabody detective stories. She also left with a few other books, a chilli plant, some clothes and a clothes rail I borrowed from her a while ago. We had a lovely evening of chatting and laughing (and eating and drinking) and hopefully they will come to Rwanda so I can cook them another meal there..maybe. We also watched the "not the nine o'clock news" clip of Gerald the Gorilla. Very funny.
So that's another few days of goodbyes, Just one more week of them to go before I go home for my final week (eeeek!). It's all frighteningly close now. But, as you can see, my blogging skills are coming on and I can now even insert pictures!
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