Singing

TallGirl took this, and I rather like it.  

Up before this robin even thought about pulling his head from under his wing, and off to the airport.  Painless boarding process, smooth flight, and Mr B waiting for us with our name on a board in case we didn't recognise him after a week.  CarbBoy, despite being the only one who had eaten breakfast pronounced himself 'famished', so off for pancakes, eggs and bacon before a ludicrously long hire car process, and the drive to our first venue of the day: Charles Darwin's house near Biggin Hill.  Great place - loads of interesting stuff in the house itself and lovely gardens too (including the best looking brassicas I've seen).  I just realised that we forgot to look at the worm stone - next time.

On then to Sissinghurst (with the lovely Google lady avoiding the traffic jams, though mostly by taking us down roads barely wider than the car.  I feel sure there must be a setting for "avoid roads that have no lines down the middle"....) where the kids did a great job of feigning interest until just before the end when CarbBoy turned briefly into SulkyBoy, declaring this "just really not my kind of thing".  Fair enough.  Time in the gift shop cheered him up.

Sissinghurst was great, though I'm not sure this would be the best time of year to visit.  However, it did make the rolling plant quiz I give the kids ("what's that?") much easier as everything was an aster, a dahlia or a canna (or hosta, as Mr B insisted, rather too proudly).  

Our hotel was in Tonbridge, so we checked in there and Mr B had a much needed nap (yeah, like he'd got up at 3.30, sheesh) while I took the kids for a wander.  CarbBoy pronounced it the best main street in the world (WHSmiths, TWO pound shops, MacD, Dominos and KFC).  Hunger struck again, so we ordered far too much food in KFC and I made a spectacle of myself by totally not understanding anything about fast food and having to go back to the counter ten times for things I'd forgotten.

Mr B joined us to hoover up our leftovers, then off for a soundcheck with the band.  The rest of us lounged about and then wandered to the party, which was the 50th birthday party of the lead singer.  Happily no-one seemed to mind the kids being there so they watched the first set.  They seemed to enjoy it, though I'm not sure how long it will take them to forget the sight of their mother dancing...

Later, my body seemed to have a major systems failure, and I collapsed into bed.  Great night, but a very very long day.