We've been camping....by a beach. Amazing when the ocean is thousands of miles away!

Gull lake is about 90 mins drive north. Beautiful and a really relaxing place. Lots of lovely birds, and sand and shallow water and mud (which is not ideal but Heidi finds it equally as attractive as all the other good things).

We were chilled home early but it meant that we could all have showers and baths and go out for a lovely meal at a restaurant that had brown paper on the tables and crayons for all and gingham napkins....and yummy food.

Heidi had her first MacDonald's milkshake today. I would say it was a huge hit! Other firsts of the camping trip were sand, waves, sand castles, proper swimming costume, staying in the travel cot all night (only the first one though...) cotton candy icecream (which is candy floss to you and me), and eating sand which I guess is like eating dirt another of her favourite foods. The sand theme is to prove that we really were at the beach!

So, tomorrow we are off to buy a lasso for Tom's Dad, and then I think that the weekend will bring some time for relaxing the temperatures are set to rise so just as well.

We're all much recovered and have had a fun day.
I went downtown with friends and we ended up having a day out for $7.75 that's around £4 using a variety of coupons, borrowed passes and complaining about food, and there were 7 of us. We did the Devonian Gardens which are indoor gardens with a big turtle pool, had lunch and went up the tower. Then we ended up back here and had an impromptu dinner party with 5 kids and 5 adults. If you've seen the size of our house you'll know that's quite funny. Heidi has gone to bed tired out

Tom has gone back to sleep talking! He has recently woken me to warn me I was falling off the top of the bed and on another occasion woken me because his pillow was broken !!!!! Happy days.

Poorly family. Tom is home from work feeling awful at the beginning of a nasty cold and Heidi is coming to the end of a nasty cold which has left her coughing half the night and feeling very sorry for herself. Best go get some sleep while I have the chance and feel smug that I am even further at the end of the nasty cold.