First game of the season for April

 And a win against the Ma Mas.  A tough game and April is covered in bruises.  Makes a change.

My first game has been pushed back a couple of weeks as it's a league game and the RFU has postponed all games in Kent due to the hardness of the grounds.

 April was away in Singapore for most of last week, so I was home alone with the kids.  As a treat we went to the local Thai on the way home from school on Friday.

April's first game!

 The Clark family is only big enough for one adult playing rugby at a time.  With me being out for the rest of the season, it's April's turn to step up and shine. Well done!  She even downed a pint!  Is there nothing this lady can't do?

Anniversary night away

We were originally supposed to head away a couple of weeks ago but due to a couple of reasons, one of which me having a home rugby game to play we, eventually had a night away in Rye.  We stayed above a cafe very close to a fish and chips shop we used last year with a couple of other families.  April found the venue and it was perfect.  We've now been married for 14 years.  Here's some stats about what has happened since...

• We've moved house
• We now have 2 kids
• We've lost 2 cats but have a new one
• We now have a dog
• We've each moved companies several times (job wise)

First stop was a winery that had only just opened.  Luckily it had a Devil 4000 to warm us up

Some wine, that April bored me talking about, my only concern was that it came in a 500ml bottle.  Pretty sure we paid for a full 750..

We also did a tasting, which I think was for free

We had a lovely meal at the Union.  We were both surprised with the meal being almost £100 less than we thought it would be.  That's despite April ordering a £70 bottle of wine.

 

Impromptu costume

 April was invited to a friend's birthday party last night, but only found out an hour before that it was a murder mystery themed party set in a fantasy setting an hour before. She knocked this up in 30 mins!

Poor Arthur

 Arthur keeps getting holes in his school jumper and April is fed up repairing it so has gone full 70s/80s university lecturer mode and sewed on leather patches.  Poor kid!

Home alone

 April's off to Chicago early tomorrow morning.  She's off to see a band called the Mountain Goats.  She flys back on Monday but late and going straight to work from Heathrow.  Then out again in the evening!

I'm at home with the kids.  We've got plenty to do though.  School on Friday.  Ballet and dancing for Flo in the morning followed by Arthur's skateboarding lesson in the afternoon.  I think we'll pop to the rugby club to watch the ladies in the World Cup final.  Sunday is an early start as there is a minis rugby festival on at the club, the u6s have to start at 8:45 to accommodate, which means I need to be there at 8 to set up. I've then got to hang around till at least 1 as Florence is part of the tournament in the u8s.

After that I think we'll head home and watch a film.

Monday back to school, but we need a babysitter in the evening so I can do the second part of the first contact session back at the club.

Wine for home

 April could barely push the trolly!

Birthday lunch

 After rugby we went to the Ivy in Tunbridge Wells for April's Birthday.  Highlight for April was a couple sitting next to told us that the kids were the best behaved children she'd ever seen.  Must be great parenting...

20 years in the UK

 On Friday we had a party to celebrate April being in the UK for 20 years (it was also her birthday on Sunday)  One of her old band mates came down with his band to play music for us too.  In all there were 50-60 of our friends there which was a great turnout. April even got up to since 3 songs.

April's birthday meal

 A bunch of the Tonbridge lot went out for drinks and burgers for April's birthday.

Mothers day

 Last Sunday was mothers day.  It coincided with April's birthday on Saturday.  So it was basically April weekend!  I did drag April to wet rugby training in the morning though and I also got out to watch the football late afternoon, so she didn't get it all her way.

Arthur getting brain freeze 

Funny faces with Flo

Arthur was really good at eating in Havet

Pancakes and syrupy bacon for breakfast

Wedding anniversary night off!

 

April booked us into Boys Hall for our wedding anniversary.  12 years!

Pre drinks at a nearby vineyard

Post pre drinks fizz before the meal

Boy's Hall

Breakfast with an ingenious honey pooper device

First Roast

 I was out with Flo in the morning coaching the u6s so April made our Sunday lunch.  Her first roast dinner.  Potatoes could have been better but the rest was great.

The main birthday present

 April commissioned the daughter of Grayson Perry to paint this for me.  What a wonderful dog!  And wife.

Arwen

I also got a new board game, two sets of salad servers, a new smart watch and some corn on the cob holders.

Rally day

 April and some friends went on a rally car experience at Brands Hatch on Saturday.  It was one of April's Christmas presents.  She had a great time although span the car a few time.  Yikes!

April's back

 Nobody died.

Job done...

Although tonight was a pain, April had a council meeting so left at 7, I had to get Arthur down to sleep between 7-8, he wasn't happy, which is rare, he generally goes straight down most nights.

All kids got to school and back, got fed and they're still alive.  April owes... 

Coffee tuition

 April's main present from me was this Sage bean to cup machine.  On Saturday she had an hours tuition from a local award winning barista.   

With help from David

April's first attempt without David

Wine tour of Kent

 April turned 40 last Wednesday and decided to treat the Tonbridge lot to a day of wine tasting around some of Kent's wineries.  

Wine flight

Final winery, a little lively

vineyard

Antics

2nd winery with it's own spaniel

Pub lunch

I'll have a glass of Badassiere please?

The Tonbridge Massive

Balfour

Happy birthday

Tasting

What a day

The birthday girl and me