Today was a low-key Sunday. I made pancakes for the kids this morning. On the side, I served a big summer fruit salad and a pineapple and banana smoothie.
We did some odds and ends things around here in the morning and early afternoon, then joined our weekly church meeting midday. It is always nice to see everyone's faces and hear how everyone else is fairing during these challenging times. Then we end the meeting with Gabri, our Vicar, telling the joke of the week. No matter what the joke is, I see everyone smiling and laughing, which invariably makes me happy. Our collective need for lightness and joy is so great these days that the simplest of things seem to fit the bill.
Mid-afternoon, we decided to watch a movie time as a family - a rarity here. We had been talking about watching Dr. Doolittle for a while because we have our mini version of Dr. Doolittle right under our roof - Miles. Not to mention that you can never go wrong with an Eddie Murphy movie from the 90's, right? Although Rotten Tomatoes panned it (42%), I found it to be quite enjoyable. As a firm believer in Rotten Tomatoes, I am usually right in line with their scoring system, but not today. Maybe it's the pandemic and my need for anything remotely funny, but Eddie Murphy was adorable and I loved all the late 90's fashions and of course, the animals! Admittedly, there were some rather dated and inappropriate references (like when one of the animals asked Eddie [Dr. Doolittle] if he knows Will Smith), but even the inappropriate moments were amusing. They reminded me of the simple and carefree '90s, which at this moment, I would give about anything to go back to.
The kids went for a swim in the late afternoon when the sun started to go down a bit and it was cooler. I was able to read a bit of my Sunday New York Times while they were in the pool, but still have a fair amount of reading to catch up on tonight. Fine by me.
Catherine and I ended the evening with our customary after-dinner walk.
A rather uneventful day, which is always my favorite kind.
Catherine picked this beautiful bunch of roses for me this afternoon and found the perfect pink ribbon to tie them with. Our first real bunch of roses. So exciting!
Dinner: Turkey Meatloaf with a Shallot and Mushroom Cream Sauce.
All food photos were taken by Catherine.
Sweet Summer Corn with Fresh Chopped Parsley.
Steamed White Rice.
Catherine took this photo on our way home from our walk this evening. It was another perfectly clear and warm evening. Catherine, Fitzy, and I absolutely love our quiet evening walks away from the raucous boys.