If you’ve been reading my blog for the last week or so you’d be forgiven for thinking I’m a bit of a social butterfly. Last week I had a mums’ night out and me and Luke have managed two date nights in the space of four days. Woah! Nights out are like buses as a parent. But this week’s Friday Favourites isn’t all about cinema trips, meals and, dare I say it, alcohol(!), it’s also been about the simple pleasures, such as family beach trips and losing yourself in a new book. On with the favourites!
1. Date night #1. We were treated to an uber-classy night out at The Alverton in Truro. After following an incorrect Google map, we finally made it to our destination and left with a food baby stuffed with scallops, steak, chocolate cheesecake and a splash (or twelve) of alcohol. Yum!
2. Family beach trip. Until Monday my mum had never been to the beach with one of her grand babies! To be fair, Jenson has only been two or three times before but it was lovely to have a family afternoon in Marazion. We started out with lunch at The Station House and headed over to our favourite spot on the beach. Jenson hates the cold sea so Luke dug him out a little pool which he could sit in. So cute!
3. Date night #2. We finally saw Suicide Squad! Luke didn’t have very high expectations going in because of the negative reviews but I was still hopeful as I loved the Bohemian Rhapsody trailer. It was a bit meh for me. There were bits I loved (Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, superhero cameos), bits I liked (the soundtrack, the growing relationship between the characters) and bits I hated (Killer Croc, pink unicorns). Two really disappointing things for me were The Joker and Will Smith. It felt very much like The Will Smith Show (and he’s nowhere near charismatic enough to pull that off these days) and given the hype pre-release, I expected a lot more Joker, not that I liked Jared Leto’s portrayal. I’m still trying to figure out if it was Leto, the direction or the script (or all three?) that ruined The Joker for me. I love What Culture’s version of how the film should have been made. I’d pay good money to see that version! Watch the video here and let me know what you think.
4. After You. Not gonna lie, I totally cried when I finished this in bed the other night. When I was about halfway through it could have gone either way; there was nothing wrong with the book but it felt like it wasn’t living up to its predecessor. But by the time I was two thirds of the way through I couldn’t put it down. And as much I loved Louisa, I found myself caring as much, if not more, about her mother and Lily. Plus it’s interesting to look at how people find a way to carry on after losing a loved one. I don’t think I even cried reading Me Before You, so if you cried reading that, prepare for a lot of waterworks with this one.
5. Jenson. I know I just posted his 15 months update yesterday but I feel like he needs another shout out. I have been completely overwhelmed this week by how much I love this little guy. He’s going through a phase where he’ll actually come to me for a quick cuddle before going back to his toys, or sitting on the sofa with me in the morning rather than whizzing around in his walker. And he’s walking! He looks so proud of himself and I’m so proud of him too. I even found myself filling up with happy tears the other evening when my mum met us with him in town after we saw Suicide Squad. She was pushing him up the road towards us and it took him a while to notice us but when he did… He was so happy and reached out and wouldn’t let go. He does so many cute things now, like picking up a book and flicking through it on his own, passing me my phone to put it on selfie mode for him (then I secretly film him while he flirts with himself), reaching out with a pointed finger ET-style for a finger boop. So freakin’ cute!
I hope you all had a lovely week! :)
A Cornish Geek 
ooo the rose lemonade is lovely
Always feels like a special non-alcoholic drink