"Feeling hungry? Time to eat. Finish off with something sweet!"

Yesterday the sun was out and was desperately trying to warm the place up, it looked lovely from our lounge window. Seth wasn't with us yesterday which always makes Opeie a little blue so we decided to try and make the most of the sunshine and get out and do something. Opeie was still feeling a bit off but we had had a quiet day in for his birthday. After cleaning the house we jumped in the car and headed up to see our friend Chris.

It was lunch time when we arrived so we picked Chris up and went for Lunch at TGI's, Opeie was asleep when we picked up Chris, so he was very excited when he woke up and saw his playmate sitting next to him. Chris and Michelle had kindly brought Opeie some birthday and Easter presents and after the excitement of opening gifts yesterday he was eager to get in to them.

The food as always was lush but the company made it so much better, we love spending time with Chris it was just a shame that Michelle was unwell and didn't join us. Opeie managed to eat a little too which after the food protest he's had over the last few days was a good sign.

After lunch, a potter round the shops and almost driving the wrong way up a one way street we headed back to Chris' for a cuppa and a chat before heading off home with a grumpy and very tired Opeie. It was a great 2nd 2nd birthday and today we will be celebrating his 3rd 2nd birthday with family. Thanks Chris for a lovely afternoon it's always great catching up with you.

"At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet."

Today we travelled into Birmingham to pick up some print work for Mrs M. We arranged to have lunch with Chris too which was great. We were excited about having a catch up with Chris (or my 'Bromance' as Mrs M calls him) and we were excited about having lunch at TGI'S as we hadn't eaten there since we were in Florida earlier in the year, but more importantly i was mainly excited because the German Christmas market was on and that meant one thing...

The German Market will always be really special to me and Mrs M, it was on when we first met each other and it played its part in our very romantic first date and many nights out after. There was something about the atmosphere and the cold weather that made our nights out so perfect. Whenever the Christmas market is on and were there i get butterflies, probably sounds silly to most people but meeting Mrs M completely changed my life and she really helped me out over a pretty dark time in my life. She has definitely made me a better person, i realise that every day but around Christmas and being at that market it just hits me more.

The christmas we met it was very very cold and the one night we had been at the market standing outside wrapped up drinking nice hot blueberry mulled wine when it started to snow. It was such a lovely night and i remember standing there thinking how lucky i felt to be standing there with Mrs M. Since then every year we have been and collected our German Market mugs and that was what i was so excited about today.

We almost missed our Christmas mugs last year because of Seth being Poorly and having to head straight home as soon as we got there but luckily we got a chance to go again before it closed. This year we got in early but were planning on going there next weekend to spend some time with friends and fully take in the festive atmosphere.

Until then we will be using our mugs but not for mulled wine unfortunately, Mrs M favours her Madagascar Vanilla red Rooibos tea and I'm more of a Twinings Earl Grey kinda guy myself.