Had a very fleeting but utterly fun time with my brother and family camping at Dolgam, just outside Capel Curig in Snowdonia last night. They’d been on a sort-of-holiday in north Wales looking at a potential relocation, so we seized the advantage of them only being a couple of hours away to have a great camping trip.

Lily wasn’t in on it - she thought we were just going camping (enough excitement in itself!), but the look on her face when she saw her cousins in the car park in Betws y Coed was, to coin a cliché, priceless.

A great time had by all - and a short time that none of us will forget for a while.

Just a few photos from Whitsun weekend. A weekend at home and not really getting much done. I’m taking more and more piccies on my phone these days… the camera’s just not about when you need it, even if it does take decent photos.

Lily’s got one of her best little mates to stay whilst the cat’s away.

My mum broke her leg the other week and as a result, she’s not best qualified to walk her cheeky little Jack Russell. Toby arrived at ours last night for a week of babysitting (of him - not Lily) and also, it transpires, a spot of slimming (he seems to have been consuming more than he has been burning … the age old Haygarth problem).

Anyway… he’s settled in brilliantly, summarized by an evening of utter laughs trying to savage Elvis while said King of Rock’n'Roll tried to fetch his Frisbee in the long grass of the meadow. To round it all off, Toby had his weight watchers tea (~one carrot skin) and then decided to retire to Lily’s room for what I anticipate will be a good 12 hours’ kip.

Welcome to the madhouse, Toby.

My sister in law Fiona will be 40 years old on Tuesday, and she held a party yesterday to celebrate. . One drawback was that I forgot to take my camera, so you’ll have to makedo with a few snaps from my phone cam.

Great party, nice to catch up with people and dance until I very nearly dropped.

Most memorable bit of the weekend for me was having to help deliver a lamb whose mum was struggling a bit - with expert amateur midwifery from Sally and Simon, and a little bit of luck, we got there, and muumy and Lamb are doing fine. Lucy, still in control, aged 12, wearing her dressing gown, took it all in her stride. The rest of us were deeply moved by the whole experience!

Update: Some great Flickr piccies posted by Simon.

Just got round to getting a few photos from Easter into the gallery (click on the image to view).

Phil (brother) and Anne and family came to stay at our place and we were treated to the best Easter weather I can ever remember. We also managed a couple of gentle bike rides, and lots of the usual ‘burning the candle at both ends’ mixture of children (day) and booze (evening).

Happy times.