Last Ice-Cream of the Summer

Yesterday I decided it would be a good idea to take the dog for a walk on Westward Ho! beach. Ellie said, 'Can we have a Hockings?' 'Yes,' I said, 'if the ice cream van is there.' I fully expected it not to be there on a miserable day at the end of October.

Well, by the time we got down there the rain was coming down sideways and the tide was completely covering the beach. But the ice cream van was there, in his usual place at the top of the slipway. We walked the dog along the top of the pebble ridge, round the cricket pitch and back to the car, her shortest walk yet, then sat in the car in wet trousers and ate ice cream. Caitlin also bought herself a hot chocolate.

Ellie's Birthday

 

Today we celebrated Ellie's birthday. She had a few friends round and they went bowling and then into the karaoke pod. These are the sort of birthdays I like. We drop them off, they have fun, and we pick them up a few hours later.

 

 

At home we had burgers and chips for tea, followed by chocolate cake and ice cream. They are now in the other room pigging out on more chocolate and getting sugar-highs from fizzy drink whilst watching a video. These are the bits of birthdays I don't like - not getting any sleep. Why do they call them sleepovers?