A full day doing enjoyable familyish things. MJ drove us off to Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery and Aquarium today; a popular choice with Kate and, of course, me. Big outdoor pools of trout which thrashed satisfyingly when we threw in handfuls of smelly fish pellets. Particularly interesting for me were the aquariums with unfamiliar fish and salamander species from New York state. Enjoyed strange soft-shelled turtle with a Pinocchio nose too. (Watching it I mean, not eating it.)

Behind the hatchery was a Church next to an icy lake. We walked up to this, Kate with her sneakers on the wrong feet, and there I took some photos. Very pretty scene, with seagulls standing on the ice and Jack communicating with them in seagull language.

Home and we watched the enjoyable Brothers Grimm film. And later we went off to IHOP for dinner and returned to play a marathon game of Risk. After two and a half hours this was nowhere near conclusion but, unlike my memories of playing it with Toby, there were no explosive outbursts.

Below Jack, and the icy lake.