• Feeling: Better
• Listening to: The Killers, Hot Fuss
• Watching: Stumptown

Felt much better today, and was especially perked up after finally successfully booking a holiday cottage in Wales for a week in August. We (mainly me persuading D) splurged twice as much on the cottage rental as we might normally, but with the cancelled holiday at Easter I felt like we could afford to splash out. The property looks amazing and now really looking forward to our break (and hoping nothing happens in the meantime that will stop us going).

It was the first day of the school holidays and D had taken the day off to spend with the kids, while I was still working. D, B and F walked to Warwick in the morning, had a chat to Mog and Pauline at Warwick Books and walked back via the park with some tree climbing en route.

Despite the walking they all seemed very cheerful when they got back and we had a nice lunch before I had to go back to work for the afternoon while everyone else watched a movie.

In my bad mood / tiredness yesterday I also forgot to recount some excitement making a bottle rocket with F. On Sunday morning F wanted to make a balloon powered car, but then found instructions for making a bottle rocket with a bottle, bicarb & vinegar – so we decided to give it a go.

Our first attempt was a failure – we got a small bit of fizzing but that was it. The second attempt (made with a variety of ageing vinegar from the back of our store cupboard) was an amazing success – F gave the mixture in the bottle a good shake, put the bottle down, and whoosh – the bottle exploded into the air, going right up I should say at least twice the height of the house.

By the third, and final, attempt we were down to some Black Rice vinegar that I think must be at least 20 years old (I drew the line at using the recently purchased sherry or balsamic vinegar!). We followed the same procedure as the previous attempt as we’d decided the problem with the first attempt was we hadn’t shaken it enough or given it enough time. Sadly, this time nothing happened. We shook it again, and again nothing happened. F asked if she could give it one last shake – I said yes but didn’t really think it was going to change anything – then as F put the bottle back down BANG the cork popped out and the bottle went straight … into Fs face 🙁 Poor F – the shock and a face covered in vinegar was too much and tears began to flow – but luckily she wasn’t really hurt and was OK after a cuddle and a wash.

I stank of vinegar for the rest of the day – I just couldn’t get rid of the smell!

Stay safe, stay strong.