More stuff
Really having trouble forcing myself to sit down at the computer, especially in the evenings. Having the "office" in the living room is not conducive, somehow...
Last Thursday we went to Bude, on the north Cornish coast, about and hour and twenty minutes' drive from here (depending on how many roadworks there are on the tiny back roads). The tide was out and the muddy flats stretched for what seemed like miles, with bands of rough dark rock thrown up across them. They have a "sea pool" which is set up like an outdoor swimming pool, but filled with sea water - except when the tide is out!
Then we drove further up the coast to Clovelly, which is in Devon. It's a tiny former fishing village built on the most incredibly steep cobbled street you have ever seen. The people who live there use donkeys or sled-like contraptions to haul things up and down - or they take their landrovers down the other road that goes directly to the beach. It's obviously a popular destination, because they have installed a visitor's centre at the top and charge an entrance fee to get into the village. So it's part tourist attraction and part somewhere people actually live. Very interesting to see, if a bit hard on the legs climbing back up holding a 24-pound toddler.
Speaking of which - Amelia is doing fine. She seems to be going through another growth spurt, and her eternal teething is still going on, which is making her a bit cranky. She has learned to say "excuse me" which is really funny - she says it to the cats when she has to walk by them, "Excuse me, Jamu," and sometimes to inanimate objects, "Excuse me, book"! When we were in Clovelly, she walked up the hill past some people coming down, and she said quite loudly, "Excuse me! Excuse me!," as if she were a royal party coming through.
She also now says "Thank you mummy," and "Thank you daddy," which is very cute, especially since she says it with such sincere expression.
Can't think what else there is to say. Weather here still cool, but trees and countryside have become very lush and green, almost overgrown already. Lilacs and irises are in bloom.
Tired - all for now.