On being outnumbered

Three children, a tightened budget, half-term.

Yesterday, we gardened together and put plants into planters, cut back trees and bushes and weeded the scruffy borders. Today, I promised Kids Club at the Odeon, so we whizzed off to see 'Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief'. Mateo had read the book and promised it would be really funny. It went over Romy's 6 year old head as there was a lot of reference to Greek Gods - actually, there were lots of Greek Gods in it, not just references. Lots of technical whizzy stuff and the sense that the film was rushing through the book without due consideration. It wasn't really funny but it was quite fun. (In no way to be read as a film critique.)

We then trooped off to the library, where Mateo announced there was nothing left for him to read - he'd read everything. After a little more hunting, he found two that were new to him...and we didn't see him for the rest of the afternoon. I expect he's finished both by now. He can read faster than me and the only difference is that he remembers what he's read.

After a really late lunch, even for us, I swear, I lay down on the sofa and fell asleep! For almost two hours..

Meaning we didn't eat until around 8.30pm.

After I let them stay up to watch Dr. Who, which we missed last week, they promised that tomorrow, they will tidy up their rooms and make a start on clearing out unwanted toys and games.  It is going to be a hard day - every time we've tried this in the past, they end up loving things they haven't touched for months and months and I never get rid of anything!

Then FR phoned from Pravia, a place on my list of where he had to check out in Asturias 'because it felt right' - and he liked it there. 

He'd been to see one of the places we'd found on a website but said it wasn't us and I believe him. I so wanted to go with him so we could look together but now he's there, I know he'll know when something is right and when it is wrong. And whilst he hasn't found 'it' yet, he arranged for an estate agent to send me some pictures of what he'd been looking at today. 
This is something that would need completely rebuilding but it's a lovely wall!!
My list includes Luarca, Grado, Castropol, Vegadeo, Taramundi, Santa Eulalia de Oscos and Meira - this latter being in Galicia, rather than Asturias. FR has to go to all of these places. It's been difficult to find good web-based information about these places - you'll see if you follow the links that there is seems to be a sad lack of good web designers working in Spain. Now there's a thought!