Farm shop

We visited a farm shop a couple of weeks ago. Lewis is running out of charcoal for the Big Green Egg, and I wasn't keen on another day trip to the Edinburgh area--which is where we picked up the last lot. Not that I mind Edinburgh, of course. Not only is it a lovely city, but it has a Starbucks. Still, it is a long way to go even for charcoal and a latte.

So he found a farm shop on the far side of Newcastle that seemed to carry just the sort of charcoal he needed. (If you want to know, you'll have to ask him, or check out the Big Green Egg website. It's hard to say which would represent the Egg and its surpassing greatness with more enthusiasm.)

Of course the farm shop itself, though really lovely, was not the ideal place for Anna, Thomas and Iain to let off steam. The end of a rainy morning inside is a good time for a trip to a playground or a walk on the railway paths. A neat and rather upscale farm shop--not so much. Lunch was not our greatest success, either. But the thing about Thomas, Anna and Iain is that they like being outside as much as their parents do. A path seems almost magical in its ability to bring out the best in all three children (not to mention their exasperated parents). And there are Anna and Thomas, doing on the path what they refuse to do on those occasions when a simultaneous smile in the direction of the camera is required.

So much for the cute Santa photo: this is about as good as it gets.