It was one that had a lot of people and groups of people coming out and doing nice things for her. Like presents, or days out with friends, cake and more.
The day of Cori's actual birthday was a school day, so it was a relaxed one, where I met them down at the beach, where they were hanging out with a friend (who knew Cori sufficiently well to just assume she'd be there on a lovely day as it was, and happily found her so!). I brought Prosecco, it was very lovely:
This picture of Oshin in the waves is his first time in the water. He was enthralled by it all, and seemed to enjoy it, though we were rather sorry to feel how ice-cold his legs were by the end of it!
It was on the trip back from the beach that we had the reminder of part of what makes the beach so annoying in the summer - having to help the children down the pole in the street down from us!
The presents we got for Cori were nothing too special, but we all had good fun playing Twister, which was definitely a winner (Finn won):
I took a day off work to hang out, and we had a lovely time. Firstly, Cori banished us from the house so that she could gorge herself in sewing - which was her decedent birthday treat, which worked out well for me also, treating myself to another go at my new favourite walk, down to Glen Maye:
Once out there, the idea came that it would be a lovely thing to go for lunch along there, where Cori had never been before, so I called her and she came to join us with salad from Green's Cafe, and we had a lovely quiet half hour sat out on the cliff edge taking in the view. Very relaxing, and a lovely thing to stumble upon at a birthday.
In the good weather around Cori's birthday, the school shorts came out for Finn - the first time this year, and Orry decided that he was a footballer:
I was on Manx Radio out at Dalby village hall (talking about Gef the talking mongoose, as you do), and I happily came come with Soda Cake. I loved it, and I was delighted that Finn loved it too. With Cori at the helm of most food-things, the kids don't get much exposure to raisin-heavy Manx food, so I'm always delighted when Finn takes to it like a good Peel boy. Phew!
A nice outing was up Glen Auldyn - a beautiful place to be with friends, even if Orry is the slowest of the bunch as everyone else dashes off ahead, leaving Orry whining behind! But by the time we got up to the dub he was in the thick of things again, merrily 'falling' down to sit in the mud in the water. Sigh.
After this we were at the Worm Charming in Maughold, which was a nice reason to get to Maughold, especially as we had lunch up at Reayrt ny Chalse / the Quaker Burial Ground - very lovely in the bluebells:
We actually took a heap of photos there, since it was so pretty, but we'll save those to the end.
Here are the obligatory happy pictures of the boys enjoying books. The first is a Saturday afternoon lunch, fresh from the library; the latter is Orry found in a state of quite absorption, curiously sat on the horse:
The Aesop's Fables book Orry has was a perfect level for him in terms of his reading. But it was one he devoured there at the table, merrily reading out the morals to us. But then he was done with it, and that was that. - It's a problem that he is good at reading and so finished books at his level too quickly, and the longer books are above him. - It'll work itself out eventually.
Cori had the brainwave of trying out a magic trick on Orry, which was perfect for his age. He was truly baffled by it (and Finn didn't work it out either):
Then it was just about time for everyone (but me) to be off on their American trip.
We can't afford such trips often, so every seat on the planes count. So we've settled into the situation where one year we all go, then Americans come here, then Cori and the kids go, then Americans come here, and then we start over. This was the last time Oshin would be free (as an under-two) in the cycle, so this was the time to go. It is also the only time Cori will have to do it with a 0-year-old and a 4-year-old (and a well-behaved Finn), so she was brave enough to commit to doing it, even all her Manx friends thought she was insane.
The prospects of an easy flight were diminished as Cori and Oshin fell in, Oshin especially. But at least it was easier than it could have been, since his illness meant that he lost his voice, and so this is his full-scale crying for his mum to come back...!
The bags were only packed at last by my going out on another very-long walk with him, this time into the evening, just to give Cori time to hunker down to it. A lovely thing to be out alone with the sunset sea:
Then they were off on their American adventure:
Cori will update on the American side of things next time.
So this time we'll leave you with those lovely pictures from up at Rhullick ny Quakeryn:
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