Easter school holidays...what to do? The week before the holidays it had been 22 degrees during the day, shorts and flip flops weather. Easter holidays start, and it’s -1 and snow blizzards in the first week. DVDs and daytime TV it is then.
During the glorious weather I’d had the brainwave of having a BBQ. Easter Sunday, whatever the weather, we were going to BBQ stuff and eat chocolate and drink wine.
First assemble your BBQ. We had bought one the previous summer, a gas one as that was what we were used to. Despite not having an engineering degree, I managed to piece the tiny bits of metal together following the cryptic scribblings of a demented fool (aka instructions), into what I think resembled the picture on the box, phew. Now the easy bit, to get some gas.
We head into Bakewell to the most likely vendor. We were given a bit of a lecture about we would have to buy the cylinder and then buy the gas to fill it. Didn’t we have an old cylinder we could exchange so we wouldn’t have to buy the cylinder. “No” we say. “Don't you have any friends who have a cylinder?” No we say. The principle of having to buy the cylinder and the gas was explained AGAIN! Again we say, in the most reasonable way possible, we have no cylinder, we have no friends, we need to start somewhere with our cylinder ownership, and today was the day, if only you would allow us to complete the purchase of the damn cylinder! We had the connector regulator thing with us, and the man in the fluorescent jacket found us the correct cylinder, we filled out the regulation cylinder ownership papers. Phew... you might think.
After arriving home, we attempt to attach said cylinder, which we now own, to the very recently constructed BBQ, guess what, wrong connection! Aaahhhh. It is now too late to return the cylinder in exchange for the correct one, which I understand you can do, so cooking on gas would have to wait. When we did get the chance to return it, we went back to the shop, and the woman (no fluro jacket) says, oh you don't want that cylinder, you need the green one. I say “Can I have a green one then please.” She says “Sorry we have sold out of green ones you can get them next door. What do you want to do with your blue cylinder? Have you used the gas?” No of course we haven't used the gas, we have the wrong connector, and weren't you paying attention, we have no friends so how could we use the gas? So do you want a refund then? YES!!!
I troop next door. I ask for a cylinder. The man says, “Oh, don't you have a cylinder to exchange? Do you realise you have to buy the cylinder and then the gas?”...
Easter Sunday was lovely, we found some friends willing to brave the great outdoors and experience a BBQ with us. It was, after all, a tropical 8 degrees, and only light drizzle on occasions. Actually when I say they experienced the great outdoors, most sat in the lounge with the window slightly open, so they could vaguely tell when the sausages were nearly ready.
Maisie and her friend had done a sterling go of hiding the Easter eggs in the garden and house. Verity (small child, aged 2) and Chess (large dog, aged 7) did a sterling job of finding all the eggs and eating them.
After the excitement of a smoke-filled house (maybe the window should have been kept closed), cake, chocolate, and sausages were consumed, and an amount of alcohol. I’m fairly confidant a good time was had by all, especially the dog.
During the week, several family outings were planned, shopping, cinema, caves and waterpark were all on the itinerary. Maisie and I went to the Heights of Abraham in Matlock Bath. Up on the cable car, and a brief walk into the hillside to look at a natural cave formed by volcanic activity and ice plates melting, then all the lead being taken out with tiny hammer. It was pretty cool, we avoided the rain whilst sitting in the cafe, climbed up a tall tower, then made our way back to the cable car. Grateful that we didn’t have to walk down.
Yesterday, we joined other pond life at Alton Towers waterpark, all indoors I was reassured. Well, it may have been indoors, but it wasn’t quite warm enough for my liking, especially the outdoors area! It was all good clean fun, I even managed a ride down the ‘Master Blaster’ a white knuckle ride on an inflatable ring. Very fast water slide, some of it in the dark, some of it going up hill, all of it wet.
It was all quite exciting, I'd spoken to the destination cottage owner earlier in the week, and was forewarned of treats in store. She asked if we had a dog. I'd told her we were probably leaving the dog at home with a house sitter. She asked me to let her know if we decided to bring the dog, and she would provide a welcome pack for the dog. When I said the dog wouldn't mind if he didn't get a welcome pack, she said "well, he wouldn't know about it would he?" hmmm
We wended our way through small lanes to the village. All we knew was the name of the cottage and the street. There is actually only one street in the village, so finding it was easy. However, looking for the cottage name, in the dark, in the rain, with dad giving 'Helpful' advice and the kids choosing that moment to listen to music without headphones, I feared the worst. The destination gods were with us when I said pull over and ask that woman. It was the very same woman who owned the cottage, and was delivering what may have been an emergency dog welcome pack, just in case. 
