Jude Marguerite & Ben's blog: An Easter Egg hunt, Ben's new play area, and a trip to Cushendun.

It's Easter 2019 and lots of things have been going on. It was great to see some decent weather arriving for the holiday period so Ben and Jude made good use of it by getting out into the back garden to play some football.

Also going on over the Easter period was the transformation of Marguerite, Jude and Ben's garden. Here was the scene prior to the builders arriving to construct the garden house.

This 20ft x 15ft house will be a great addition to the garden space. Here Phyliss and Marguerite (behind Phyliss) check it out.

The garden did take a bit of a hammering with the diggers running over it all week.

The builders from NI Climbing Frames really did go the extra mile in ensuring a proper foundation was laid. This house would hold a snooker table and this concrete base would be perfect for that.

For Easter this year Ben got a new play centre / climbing frame set. This thing has it all, swings, see-saws, slides, monkey bars, trapeze swing, little den shed, picnic table, two towers, fireman's pole, rope climber ...... the heap. It even has two super cool pirate flags, one on each end.

Ben has been on this every day since it was built.

As the week prior to Easter progressed Marguerite was out on a nightly basis surveying progress. The plan for the exterior was well set at this stage but some last minute requests for alterations were handled in the most fantastic way by the builders. This thing had to be perfect and so it was shaping up that way.

One thing still had to be decided though. What would the house be called? Various names were suggested but we will wait until opening night to announce the name here.

This year's Easter Egg hunt was brought forward one day from Easter Sunday to Easter Saturday (as Ruairi and Fionn would be unavailable on Sunday). It was set in the garden as usual even though one part of it was actually a building site.

Here is Ben in his totally new Cliftonville Kit (just bought today at the Cliftonville 2 Crusaders 0 game).

As always the Easter Egg hunt was an exciting event for the kids. Here Ben, Sofria and Fionn get ready.

Ben and Adam looking cool ahead of the Easter Egg hunt.

The Easter Egg hunt line up!!! Ben, Sofria, Effy, Adam, Emmett, Ruairi and Rebecca. Michael and Fionn are in the background.

And then they were off down to the bottom of the lane and hunting for eggs and surprises!!!

As always it was very exciting as they ran around searching around the lane!

They even hunted around Joe and Phyliss' house ........

....... before making their way into Marguerite, Jude and Ben's garden.

Ruairi and Fionn scooping up eggs.

Eggs were hid everywhere. Here Effy is hoping to find one in the hedge. Little Rebecca is done out at this stage and is being carried by her big cousin Grace.

As always everyone had a great time on the eggs-citing Easter Egg hunt. Eggs-citing ...... do you get it? Eggs-citing ...... anyone???

In this year's Easter Egg hunt there were large eggs, small eggs, cream eggs, and some little toys thrown in to add a little extra fun to the proceedings. The toys were a great addition and in particular the little soldier parachutes ....... the kids had a lot of fun throwing them off Ben's play centre.

On Easter Monday Marguerite, Jude and Ben took themselves off up the Antrim Coast to Waterfoot and Cushendun.

First stop was the beach at Waterfoot.

Ben takes random outfits with him sometimes and today, as he was going to the beach, it was his Captain Jack Sparrow one he chose.

Lunchtime on the beach.

It really was a beautiful (though windy) day. Here Marguerite sits gazing out over the water.

Ben and Jude having fun on the beach.

Ben in a cool pose!

And Marguerite in an even cooler pose!!!!

It's a big hug for Ben and Marguerite!

Where's Ben off to?

Here he comes again ......

........ sprinting up the beach.

Chilling out.

Captain Jack Sparrow running along the beach ...... perhaps escaping from the Commodore!!!

Next stop was Cushendun. Ben wanted to play some baseball so the wide open spaces of the Cushendun Hurling pitch was a place Jude knew well from having played here many times for both Ballygalget and St Pauls.