After the first of my two swine flu jags at the beginning of the week I only just felt well enough today to enjoy time with A's children, who'd travelled 350 miles yesterday for a very short stay on the island.

I and F arrived almost unannounced early this morning at A's, and chose to spend their day in the Metropolis. So our Sunday (and the coldest day of the year so far) was spent hanging out in the café serving the biggest and best chocolate shakes in town, teaching Dad how to play Pooh sticks on the wooden bridge in the nature walk, all of us ending up on the swings at the park, then back home to thaw out with steaming mugs of cocoa and a session with cat Méabh's favourite feather toy, followed by soup and apple crumble with ice cream . . . . . .

Shame they could only spend one day with their Dad, but the day we did have with them they seemed to enjoy.