The clocks went forward on Saturday, which means we are closer time wise to our friends and family in the east and further away from those towards the west. Sunday turns out to be a warm spring day, although the forecast is for the cold spell to return this weekend well in time for Easter.
It is past eleven by the time Lakshmi and I reach the gym pool. There are not many children in the pool. I tie a floater around Lakshmi and take her around. Soon the pool fills up with children splashing around. Lakshmi is still not confident but slowly starts enjoying the swim. She is more fascinated with the other children’s toys and goggles. We stay for over half an hour and call it a day.
Back home, there is work to do in the garden. Lakshmi happily runs around as I do a bit of clearing up. The lawn is full of moss. I dread to think of all the work that will go into seeding and watering the garden once the moss has been cleared. Lakshmi picks up gravel one by one and brings them to me. It looks as if she is trying to help me with the tidying up.
Once Kavitha is back from work, we visit our newly discovered restaurant in Chigwell Row for the second week in a row. It beggars belief that we’ve lived in the neighbourhood for almost 27 years and have never been there. The owner smiles as I tell him that we’ve booked a table this time unlike last week. Once again the friendly staff show us our table. Lakshmi has a teddy Alfie, which her nanny gave her during their recent visit. It goes everywhere with her these days. She shows it to the waitress, while we order her a hot chocolate. She orders something for Alfie, but we cannot make out what it is. The place is full once again. I order the squid and watermelon starter and a fish for mains. Kavitha and her dad order the scallops and the Sunday roast. The food does not disappoint. It looks and tastes good. Two hours later we make our way home, happy and full to the brim. The Hainault forest entrance is not far from here. We will come back another day for a walk in the woods.
