Day 312: Berry peculiar

After I dragged myself out of bed this morning - no mean feat let me tell you - Exile #3 and I went to church while Exile #2 remained (with E5N1) to take Exile #4 to the 3rd birthday party of one of her classmates. She seemed a little confused about why she was taking a birthday present though: "Her mum has forgotten to get her a birthday present, so we are taking one instead!" she insisted.

This afternoon we had a rest and went out for a meal for the first time in a while - it worked out quite well. We'd last seen the waitress when she was heavily pregnant and she now has a daughter almost exactly the same age as E5N1. We shared tales of weaning and teething with her.

This evening we were watching the local news station which occasionally opens up to "And now...news from beyond the Capital Region". Today a report about Manchester, England. It included such gems as, "Manchester begs comparisons with London, but visitors may be disappointed if they don't allow it to stand on its own." "The IRA bombing 10 years ago provided a cultural catharsis and opportunity to redevelop" and what's more, it thrives on "gritty spunk".

Here are two pictures from our walk yesterday. Firstly one to reassure you that we are having fun when my energy levels allow and the other one of these strange yellow berries that open up revealing a red berry inside. Does anyone know what they are?