First ride of the year

After an horrific week of rain, rain, rain and more rain (the poor sheep in the field next door have very little room to graze at the moment as there is a huge lake in it) we managed 2 dry weekend days.  I wouldn't say that they were beautiful clear days, but no rain equals good in our book.

Friday night we decided to go out for dinner.  We went to Whoop Hall which is on the A65 just outside of Kirkby Lonsdale.  We were disappointed (for the first time since we arrived here).  The food was OK, but nothing more than OK but the service was appalling.  I was curtly told off for not noticing the pie of the day was advertised on a blackboard around the corner from where I was sitting and then had an argument over whether anything served with the moules?  It was a polite question, 'Could you tell me if the moules comes with anything?' but the owner took offence and started shouting at me - I was stunned.  One good thing, when the moules arrived, I gave some to Tom and he ate them up and asked for more - I was so pleased, he preferred them over Matt's burger.  How many 3 year olds would try moules the first time they saw them and like them?  

Interesting light in Morecambe

On Saturday we went to Morecambe because I wanted to visit an appliance shop.  When we finally buy our house, we will need to buy a new oven as the current owners are taking theirs.  The whole in the kitchen is 90cm, so we will need a range cooker (yippeeee).  I haven't been able to find a shop locally with expertise in range cookers, but found there was one in Morecambe which is only open on Saturdays at the weekend, so I dragged the boys there.  Typical, they had just had a sale and most of their display cookers had just been sold off, meaning there were lots of holes in their display.  Not to fear I found a salesman who knew his stuff (wow) and grilled him.  I think I now know what I want.  Obviously I can't do anything about it until we exchange.  I also need to revisit the kitchen to check on colours etc.

Biker at the end of the Stone Jetty

Once I was out of questions we headed to the seafront and Tom got his bike out for a ride.  He did really well - and yes Granma he can ring his bell whilst riding with little problem.  He LOVED ringing it, at least people could hear him coming and get out of his way.  We took Matt to the Stone Jetty as he hasn't been there yet.  Unfortunately the cafe there was closed, but it was a nice walk (fast - trying to keep up with the boy) and very little wind.  We went to the pub in the old station for lunch - was a cheapo pub with average food but very good service and great architecture so would happily revisit.

Matt decided to leave us at this stage, wanting to stretch his legs and walk to Hest Bank.  Tom and I went back to the car and drove to Hest Bank and spent a good long while watching trains thundering through.  We then returned home for the afternoon and took all the Christmas decorations down.

Little walker

Little runner

Dales Scenery

Sunday Matt looked at the weather and decided it would be better to travel East so we headed to the Dales and Ingleton.  He had found a 2.5 mile walk in a book for us to do.  We have done it before, when Tom was in the rucksack but couldn't remember it that well.  It takes you across the rivers and up a hill across fields, back down again to Thornton-in-Lonsdale where there's a pub which has 365 whiskies.  The going was quite difficult - ie very soggy and muddy with the odd stream to traverse, and lots of sheep but Tom didn't whinge once, he was so good and a delight to have around.  He actually walked much further than Matt or me as he kept running between the two of us.  He was a little frightened of the sheep, but as long as he could hold a hand he was fine.  We were very proud.

We arrived at the pub, clogged in mud and found a welcoming pub.  Unfortunately it has changed owners twice since we last visited, so the whisky collection had gone - Matt was a little sad.  We had lunch whilst our boots dried out in front of the fire.  Unfortunately again the food was quite poor - £5.00 for a supermarket bread sandwich with poor quality filling, but the service was good.  We then continued on our way back to Ingleton.  Tom had a play in the playground and then we headed home.  We stopped off at Crunchy Harvest to see if the butcher would cut us some shabu shabu style belly pork - he did - yippee again. 

We thought Tom would nod off on the way home as he had exerted himself.  Although the guide book said the walk was 2.5 miles, Matt's iphone mapped the walk as 4 miles long which means Tom probably did about 4.5 miles with all his to-ing and fro-ing.  He didn't, he didn't even look vaguely tired.  We then had a lazy afternoon, and early dinner.

Tom the student

What's Tom Doing Now?

Tom's current quirks:

1) Hooks  - he is obsessed by hooks on cars at the moment.  He gets ridiculously excited when he sees one, and is always scanning the roads to find one.  You can imagine what he's like in a car park!  Living here we see plenty.  He has learnt to recognise Land Rovers now and knows when he sees one that there will be a hook. 

2) Eating slowly - this is a really annoying trait.  He has got himself into a rhythm of eating really really slowly.  He will chew and chew and chew and chew, swallow, sit back and do nothing until you tell him to take another mouthful.  This means that meal times can take forever.  We aren't sure how to stop him doing this.  We have sent him straight to bed when he has been really really bad, and no videos after dinner if he is bad.  I've asked him a number of times why he does it, but he can't give me a reason.  The thing is we know he can eat nicely as he ate very very well at Karen's.

3) I love you - he has started saying 'I love you' to me and Matt on a regular basis.  He knows we melt when he says it.  It is lovely to hear but at the back of my mind I'm wondering what he wants.

4) Train book at bedtime - Matt bought a ladybird book on trains in Sedburgh a couple of weeks ago.  It's a 1970's edition so not particularly in date, but Tom loves it.  He demands it every night before bed.  He really is a train nerd.

5) What you doing Mummy? - an infuriating question at times.  Tom loves asking me and Matt 'what you doing?' when it is plainly obvious what we are doing.  For example I'll be putting out the wet laundry - and I'll get 'What you doing Mummy?' to which I say 'What do you think I'm doing Tom?' and he'll say, putting out the washing.  Why does he say it then?  I don't mind the odd one, but some days he says it again, and again and again.

6) Wanting to write numbers and letters - as you can see from the photo above, Tom is beginning to look like a student.  He has shown interest in numbers and letters recently, so I bought him a wipe clean book with numbers, letters, vehicles etc in it, with lots of dots for him to join up to make the letters, draw the pictures etc.  He loves it and will quite happily sit himself down and practise.  He's got noticeably better in the week or so he's had it.

7) What's the time? - Tom's got really interested in the time recently and is always asking us what the time is.  He knows his o'clocks very well.  I've tried to teach him half past the hours but he hasn't got it yet - won't be long though.

8) Race you - for dressing / undressing  - I've known for a while now that Tom can dress / undress himself, but he is inherently lazy and always makes me help him.  I've recently discovered though that if I turn this activity into a game he will do it happily by himself.  So in the morning and at bath time I'll ask him if we should race to see who's the winner to get undressed..'Ready, steady, go......'  It works pretty much every time and before too long I have a grinning Tom in the room declaring himself the winner - he pretty much is always the winner as his clothes are all laid out for him whilst I have to find mine.  Anyway it works and saves me a job:0)