WEEKENDING

 We had a lovely weekend just gone. For once James didn't have to work so we got to spend time together during the day which is a rarity! I babysat on Friday night but it wasn't too much of a chore. The kids are angels and are old enough to put themselves to bed and stay there so I got to just sit in front of the crackling fireplace, knitting myself a new hat and watching my beloved Idris Elba, Lena Dunham and the lovely Olivia Colman on The Graham Norton Show. That was a pretty dream line-up for me, I love all three of them, and they worked splendidly well together on the sofa.

Saturday morning we headed into town and went for a milkshake and a cake in Basil. Basil is one of my favourite of cafes in Tunbridge Wells, and is always busy so clearly I'm not alone.

 James had the strawberry cake which was pretty damn good. The slice was HUMONGOUS so naturally, Beau and I had to give him a hand with it.

I had the lemon, lime and coconut drizzle cake and it was heavenly. I love citrousy desserts anyway, and this didn't disappoint. It was tarte but sweet in just the right proportions, dee-lish.

Beau and I shared a banana and peanut butter milkshake. Anytime I see anything peanut butter flavoured on a menu, I'm sold. James always tells me to be more adventurous and try something new, but what can I say, I'm a stick in the mud. Peanut butter me up baby

Then Beau made James ride down and up the escalator a couple of times, which amused him no end! 

We stopped in at the soft play area for a little while but it was pretty busy, what with it being a Saturday and all, so we didn't stay too long. Beau gets kind of intimidated by lots of other kids all at once, especially as there were a couple of much older kids in there. He lucked out though as this one cute little boy tried to make friends with him and he didn't want to know. I'm sure once he starts nursery next year this will all sort itself out.

On Saturday night I headed into town with the girls to celebrate Eleanor's birthday. I only had a couple of drinks and didn't feel remotely drunk but still I woke up with a headache and a desire to stay in bed all morning...this drinking lark becomes less and less appealing the older I get!

On Sunday we were going to my Dad's for a belated birthday celebration for him and my younger brother Sheepy (real name Matt!) so despite my headache I got out of bed and knocked together a little banoffee pie. Here's the hot tip for making it a little lighter yet somehow even more delicious: use creme fraiche instead of whipped cream for the topping. Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and half a shot of espresso and mix for approximately a million years until it thickens. I'm not kidding, it takes forever, but is so worth it. Then cover in grated dark chocolate, of course.

On our way to my Dad's, we stopped in at Eleanor's to pick up some shoes I had left there on Friday, and we found her in a state of deep hangover :o) Beau had a little play on the ukulele while we were there, reminding me that I need to get one for myself and learn to play it. It's on my to do list, point 1,523,866. You can spot Beau's new wheels we picked up for him on Saturday. I wouldn't usually go for the star spangled banner look quite so outrageously, but they are velcro "no time to lace" converse (which is a billion times quicker than the ones with laces to tie) and that was the only design they had in that style. I have to say though, the kid pulls them off well.

While at my Dad's, Beau decided to try on Ivy's furry hooded gilet and was prancing about in it for quite some time, telling everyone that "I'm a girl like Ivy Mae". You do what you gotta do babe, whatever makes you happy :o)

For Christmas, I bought Cards Against Humanity for my little brother (don't worry, he's 25) and we all played it yesterday afternoon. I had seen in mentioned AGES ago on Courtney's blog and had it in my amazon cart pretty much ever since. It was the best purchase I've made in a long time, it was HILARIOUS! They call it "the party game for horrible people" and they're not wrong. Luckily we all have a horrible sense of humour (my Dad was less impressed, but still managed to see the fun in most of it :o)) so we had a great time. If you also have a horrible sense of humour and you haven't played it, I highly recommend that you do!

And to take us out, here is my niece Ivy squishing her face up against the glass as we were leaving Dad's, isn't she a darling?!

I hope you all had a great weekend too? This week we are giving potty training a go...any hints and tips would be very much appreciated as I have NO IDEA how this should go down!

Until next time people xo