Malham

Saturday was a nondescript day, we did chores in the morning and then went to Lancaster in the afternoon to pick up some bits for the house.  We couldn't find bits for the house, Tom got very teary and said his tongue was hurting (he had a little ulcer - result of too many light nights and too many meals out and therefore not enough fruit and veg recently I think) and wouldn't be comforted.  So a bit of a waste of time.  Oh well it was a dreary day, so we didn't miss much.

We asked Tom what he wanted to do on Sunday and he said go walking so that is what we did (we don't need much encouragement).  We decided to go to Malham.  We parked at Malham Tarn and walked down to Malham Cove and then to Malham village.  It wasn't an easy walk, first of all there was snow on the ground (we weren't expecting that as we didn't have snow in Ingleton) and secondly it was very rugged - ie lots of rocks to scramble over and quite a downhill gradient.  Tom did us exceptionally proud.  Armed with his new walking stick from Sammie (thanks Sammie) he happily walked with us and didn't complain once, even when he fell over!  

Dalesman Tom

Moo

His only wobble was when we came across a gang of Highland Cows on the path.  We picked him up and walked around them, as soon as we were far enough away from them he was fine and kept turning round to look at them (they do look remarkably like Mammoths - except for the trunk of course) and then when we asked him what his favourite part of the day was he said the Highland Cows.

Limestone Pavement

He scrambled down the hills really well and before too long got to the Limestone pavement at the top of the Cove with a great view down to Malham.  We were very lucky in that there wasn't even a whisper of wind at the top meaning we could enjoy it.  We walked across the top of the cove and found the steps down to the valley.


There were a lot of steps, once again Tom did well apart from when he came across dogs when I had to pick him up - he wasn't liking dogs today.  Almost at the bottom he lost his sense of humour and told me that his knees where hurting (the same complaint we got at Leeds station earlier this week).  He got to the bottom and had a rest whilst I went
to look at the cove.

River Boy

He recovered himself and happily walked the last bit into Malham village where we entered the first pub we saw for Sunday lunch.  Steak pie for me and Scampi and chips for Matt - all shared with Tom.  Matt then repeated the walk back up to the car whilst Tom and I enjoyed a huge portion of crumble and custard (and I wonder why I'm getting so fat?!)


We then went for a play in the river whilst we waited for Matt to return with the car.  For once Tom didn't need any encouragement to play, he waded straight in and played and played in the river, splashing around, it was really great to see.  When we got back to the car he said he wanted to take his wellies off.  I said no as we weren't going far, but then I saw water leaking from the tops of his boots.  Yep, both of them had completely filled up with water, and he hadn't said anything!  We literally poured the water out of his boots, took his socks off and wrung them dry.  When we arrived at our next stop (a farm shop) we had to strip him of his jeans and put him in his emergency trousers (luckily we still have a pair in the car).  Most parents would be annoyed, but we were really proud that at last he is playing and enjoying himself in places like rivers.

He fell asleep on the way home (no surprise there), we all collapsed in the evening, it had been a really good day, he really was a very good boy.

Tom's Latest Sayings:
+ Yikes!
+ Come on you two
+ Gosh
+ I TOLD you... (when we ask him a question more than one time and he thinks he's already answered it)

Oh and when he goes to bed now he likes to choose what number to count to before we turn the light off - sometimes it will be over 30 and he does it fine - he really does like to count at the moment.

Carlisle

Jammy Face

Friday, Matt took a day off.  As our cheap train fares are about to end we decided to go to Carlisle again on the train.  So we went back to Ribblehead Station and got the northbound train to Carlisle.  Tom again was very good, watching the scenery go past.  I took a whole load of 'things to do' with me on this journey and the York journey and didn't have to get anything out at all which is great.

Our plan on arrival to Carlisle was to walk down to the railway arches where there is a very big cake shop next door but one to a cafe with a model railway = heaven for all of us.  However, we got there to find the cafe had gone and the cake shop due to move next week.  The cafe has relocated to another town, but luckily the cake shop is moving closer to the station, so all is not lost.

We were a bit lost as to what to do for lunch so asked at the cake shop and were directed to a cafe not far away from the shop called the Old Engine House.  It was a fantastic place.  Very very good food, all local produce but sold at very reasonable prices.  We couldn't quite believe our luck.  We were very luck to get a table, people were queueing up and happily waiting half an hour or so for a place.  We did feel a little young as it was mostly retired folk in there, but we didn't care, we were on to a good thing.  It is going to be very hard to go anywhere else now when we visit Carlisle.  Tom decided to have crumpets with strawberry jam and as you can see from his face, enjoyed them very much (even the jam was homemade and full of fruit).

We then made our way to Bitts Park, a good park in the centre of Carlisle where we went last time.  Tom had a happy hour or so playing on all the equipment and exploring the musical garden before we headed into the town centre for a spot of shopping - we bought ourselves a phone with answering machine as we still haven't found our handsets and are now thinking that maybe we threw them out or left them behind in Telford (although neither of us remembers this!)  We bought one with an answering machine in the hope that we won't miss any messages anyone leaves us - we have a bad track record in the past.  

Happy sliding

We then headed back to the station for a bit of trainspotting and then the train home.  Tom had a picnic dinner on the train on the way home - this time he opted for an ebi sandwich and he ate the whole thing as well as a whole pack of crisps and a banana - that is basically an adult's meal he had!

We got to Ribblehead and drove straight home (he fell asleep again but woke up in good enough humour to endure a bath and the proper night routine).  Matt then went out to get take away pizza from the Italian restaurant (very good and very juicy - I made a right mess eating mine) which we ate collapsed on the sofa.

York

A zero series Shinkansen - Wow!

Tuesday was our day off for good behaviour.  Also it is half-term in North Yorks this week so Tom wasn't at school, I thought a trip to the National Railway Museum in York would be a great half-term cum birthday treat.  Grandpa also thought it a good idea and stayed the extra night so he could come too.

We got the train from Ribblehead (not our nearest station but the most convenient one for number of services and more importantly free parking) to Leeds (1.5 hours) and then from Leeds to York (20 minutes) and walked to the museum.  I had no idea how big the museum is and was completely stunned by it.  First stop though was lunch - the restaurant is run by Milburns so I was expecting the worse (which is what we got at MOSI) but it was excellent.  Great food, quick service and the Manager was on show in the restaurant crowd managing, making sure everyone got a seat - I couldn't fault it - so contract catering can be done well - my first experience!  Tom tucked into a plate of cheesy pasta, wedges and veg (a huge plate which all went) whilst the older boys had sausage and mash and I had a goats' cheese parcel.  We then had a play.  We went into the main engine show room and made a beeline for the Shinkansen (of course) and then looked around the various other engines (a number of which Tom knew by name - he is such a train nerd now!).  He then spent quite a while watching a model tramway and then a model railway.  Once we tore him away from that we had a drink and then Tom queued up to have a go at pedalling a steam train toy - he did really well as I thought they looked quite heavy - see video below:

Pedal train

MALLARD

We then went outside where he had a trip on a miniature railway, then back to the main museum to watch the model railway again.  This was definitely his favourite bit.  By now it was late afternoon so the crowds had dispersed, meaning that he could run up and down with the model railway watching go in and come out of tunnels.  He spent ages there, with a couple of other boys doing exactly the same. He then had a ride on another miniature railway with Grandpa, watched the model tramway again and before enticing him out.  It really was a fantastic museum, there were loads of things we didn't see or do - including whole buildings, I have a feeling this is going to be a regular day out.  It is quite cheap for us to go at the moment as we have a special 'Dales Rail Pass', being residents we can travel any distance on the Leeds to Morecambe line and Leeds to Carlisle line for just £7 between November and February, a huge reduction on the full rate.

View from Ribblehead Station

Tom spent his birthday money (£5 from Shelm and Bob and £5 from John and Shirley) on a Mallard to go on his train set - money well spent I think - it is certainly very smart.  We then headed back to Leeds where we bought a picnic dinner to have on the train back to Ribblehead.  Tom had a bit of a moment in Leeds - he banged his head in the toilet and then told me his knees were hurting and then couldn't stop crying.  He was a sorry sight for about 15 minutes, but luckily Matt got him happy again showing him lots of photos on his iphone.  He had a happy dinner on the train - ate the best part of an adult's egg sandwich with some crisps and then came over and cuddled me and fell asleep.  He woke up when we transferred him to the car but was asleep again in minutes.  When we got home he was again a sorry sight, crying 'I don't want a bath, I don't want a story' - so we got him in his pyjamas, had an abortive attempt at trying to get him to go to the loo and then he hopped straight into bed.  I think he was asleep again in seconds.  A happy sleep I'm sure as he was a very good boy today and very well stimulated.  We all enjoyed ourselves too.

New house

So last week we moved house for what will hopefully be the last time.  It all went smoothly, our removers (Atlas - for future reference) were absolutely brilliant - we booked them with slight trepidation as they quoted us about £500 cheaper than the other removers - I can't think how we could have got £500 better service from the others so it was a lucky good call to go with them.

Our new house - Spring Cottage in Ingleton

Thursday was spent directing the removers and cleaning the Lupton house as it gradually emptied out.  Friday was spent doing the same and then directing the removers on where to put all the boxes.  The house filled up in no time at all - we really do have a ridiculous number of possessions - something to do with us both being hoarders.  I thought it would never end, and although this is a large house, it still doesn't seem to fit!  Hopefully it will all fit into place and now that this is our forever home, we hopefully should be a bit better at throwing things out as we won't need to keep things 'just in case we need it for our new house' - it's a thought anyway!

Poor Tom went down with a cold Wednesday / Thursday / Friday.  I felt really bad taking him to nursery on Friday as he looked really bad, but what could I do - wasn't as if he had a bed / comfy place to be at home, so in he went.  Turned out he wasn't too bad, but instead of going out for dinner (we did that on Thursday night and it went a little wrong at the end as he was ill and tired), we got in fish and chips from the takeaway - they were good, Tom ate well and went straight to bed and slept well.  

On Saturday Bob came up.  Matt and Tom went to collect him from Lancaster whilst I finished off cleaning the Lupton house.  We then tried out the tea room in Cowan Bridge (very nice - especially the cake selection) and headed back to the house to carry on unpacking.  Luckily Tom was happy watching films on the sofa (still not 100%) whilst we worked on the house. The number of boxes didn't seem to diminish at all, but at 4pm we called it a day - all very exhausted (neither me nor Matt have slept very well this week) and also we needed to give Tom some attention.  We went out for dinner in Ingleton, originally we were going to try out the Italian, but it was full (ie all 3 tables were taken) so ended up at The Three Horseshoes, another pub in Ingleton which we haven't yet tried.  We were pleasantly surprised as it was much bigger than we thought and the food although basic was good - the chips excellent - so much so that I couldn't stop eating them.

Unfortunately we kept Tom up too long and suddenly he lost his good humour and cried all the way home - even Grandpa carrying him on his shoulders wouldn't help, he cried and cried.  When we got home he told us he didn't want a bath or a story just bed, so that's what we did.  He went straight to sleep.

Sunday we continued with the house.  Bob, Tom and Matt went into Lancaster to get some curtain rails (the previous owners took absolutely everything with them!)  I carried on unpacking, unpacking and unpacking.  We wandered into the village for lunch (Neptis of course) and then more unpacking whilst Bob and Matt got some curtain rails up (we've been using boxes as curtains until now).  Finally around 4pm I finally found the kitchen - none of the cupboards closed but at least the surfaces were clear.  We had dinner of slow cooked Japanese stew (the previous owners took the oven so we are down to using a slow cooker, a deep fat fryer and a teppan for dinners until our cooker arrives).

Monday we did more tidying and then Tom and I took the bus into Settle whilst Bob and Matt took a car load of rubbish to the tip in Settle.  I was rather nervous about getting the bus as last time I got one it cost £7.25 for a 20 minute journey into Kendal.  I was pleasantly surprised to be charged £2.25, so this is a day trip Tom and I can do regularly.  We met up with Bob and Matt had lunch and then drove home via Clapham as Bob hadn't been there.  We spent a pleasant afternoon there, Tom playing in the new fantastic playground there and then tea and a bun in a tea room there (fantastic tea room too - the cakes were excellent).  Then home, some more unpacking before the bedtime routine.

I'm 4

Bike ride

So, we have been building up for this weekend for a while.  A big weekend too as Tom turned 4. Last year he was slightly aware of it being his birthday, this year he was very aware of it being his birthday.

As we don't know many people yet 'up North' and because we didn't want to drag both sets of parents back up after Christmas, we decided to do a half way meet.  Mid way between the 3 of us is Malvern - very nice, but not very much to do in a February especially with the cold and wet weather we've been having recently.  So we decided to meet in Telford.  We know Telford, we have friends in Telford, seemed to be the perfect solution.

We had a hunt on Late Rooms and decided to book Buckatree Hall Hotel.  We didn't know it but it looked nice in the photos - it was that or Park Inn Hotel which we knew was in the main part of town and would be noisy and very formulaic.  We were lucky - it was a nice secluded spot and the rooms were pleasant and bar very comfortable.  It was also rather empty, meaning we more or less had the run of the place which was great.

Cycling down the lane

We headed down on Friday morning, stopped off for lunch at Sam's cafe (for the first time ever, Sam wasn't there - she's opened a new place in Stafford Park - oh hum, it was still fast and tasty and a fraction of the price it would have cost to have lunch in the hotel).  I then left Matt at the hotel and headed to Shifnal to meet up with Rachel, Mae and Lucy.  Last time we came down to Telford Mae had Noro virus so we didn't get to see her, I thought it would be a real treat for Tom to have the chance to see her 1:1 as parties are always a little manic.  We had a lovely time.

Hugs

It didn't take long for Tom and Mae to get to know each other again and before we knew it they were upstairs in Mae's room playing happily.  It was a gorgeous day and as we had been stuck in the car for half the day we decided to go out for a bike ride.  Tom on his pedal bike, Mae on her balance bike and Rachel and Lucy on their bike and carriage.  I had to jog!!!!  It was great fun, all children enjoyed themselves and I was very much out of breath!  I stupidly didn't have my proper camera with me, but I managed a couple of shots with my phone which give you an idea of our fun.

With Lucy

When we got back to the hotel, Tom was fast asleep having lots of happy dreams, so I stayed with him until he woke up.   Granma and Pop Pop were already at the hotel, and their room was next door to ours so much fun was had running from our room to their room and back again.  He was a very very excited boy.  Grannie and Grandpa then turned up, so he had another room to explore - what could be better.

At 6, we went to The Horseshoe - a pub just down the road for dinner.  It was empty which meant we (Tom) could make as much noise as he wanted and not disturb anyone.  Fab.  Tom, as always had the best dinner (ie a bit of everyone's) and did really well.  He also had a huge amount of pudding - greedy boy!  He entertained us with a number of nursery rhymes.  He decided that it would be fun to do them in a Brummie accent.  I don't know why - but once he realised he got a huge laugh when he did it, he kept doing it, quite the entertainer!  He didn't get to bed until after 8.30, dirty stop out!  Mum wasn't feeling 100% so said she would stop in and listen out for him so we had a nice evening in the bar.  Tom was an angel, he went straight to sleep and didn't stir at all.  Matt and I snuck into bed, he still didn't stir and although Matt and I had a bad night's sleep, it certainly wasn't his fault, he was quiet as a mouse all night and hardly moved, what more could we ask for?

Surrounded by Land Rover and trailers

Saturday was Grand Parents' Day.  Officially Tom was still 3, but we moved his birthday forward a day so we could all enjoy it together.  We all ate breakfast together and then met in the lounge for the very important job of opening presents.  We had the lounge to ourselves which was fantastic, we made ourselves at home and sat back to watch Tom open his mountain of gifts.

Ground control to Major Tom...

You can tell that Tom has been influenced by his environment.  He is currently obsessed by hooks, especially those belonging to Land Rovers and apparently every self-respecting Land Rover should have a horse box.  I luckily came across a fantastic Land Rover and horse box set and let both sets of grandparents know what we had got so they could purchase some complimentary trailers for it.  Tom was very pleased these as you can see from the pic, certainly a hit.  He was certainly very spoilt, got loads of gifts - thank you everyone.  He now has a couple of good starter sets of Lego (can't wait for him to get started on that), lots of books, crafty things, Japanese train goods (and we still have some more stuff to give him for Christmas!), pyjamas, a Spacesuit and many other wonderful things, thank you everyone, you were all very generous.

2 Spacemen

After coffee etc we headed off in the rain to Cosford to look round the museum.  (There was nothing else open in the area including the SVR which was still closed - half term is next week in Telford).  It didn't matter that Tom has been there many times before, each time he goes he's able to learn something new as his concentration span and understanding is getting better with every day.  First of all he got dressed in his Spacesuit (very apt for Cosford). He was quite happy to run around in full space suit, spreading his love around, spending time with everyone.  I even managed to get him to sit down and watch the video about the space race which was a first (although of course helped by the fact Tom was a mini spaceman today)

John Deere!!!!!

We had a quick snack (none of us were very hungry on account of eating a full English for breakfast) and then headed over to Fun n Flight where Tom had a very good play, in fact at one stage I didn't think I would be able to get him away without a fight.  We then headed back to the hotel for birthday cake.  Tom, however, fell asleep so we left him be for an hour and then met up for cake.  This year I was good enough to ask him what type of cake he wanted.  He told me he wanted a tractor cake, (very happy he didn't say Land Rover with a horse box!).  He thinks John Deeres are the best, so that is what I made.  I'm a bit out of practise making cakes at the moment so was pleased to get the opportunity to get my teeth into something.  The tractor is made from rice krispie treats, came out OK.  The cake itself was chocolate cake as requested by the birthday boy.  To make it properly Northern, I put a dry stone wall around the edge, with black sheep and Bluebell from the field next door also featuring.  It's not beautiful but very bespoke and tells the story of where we have been living recently.  We sang Happy Birthday and enjoyed a slice before freshening up for dinner.

We had booked ourselves a table at Abdul's for dinner - curry is still Tom's favourite food.  Abdul was very very pleased to see us and welled up when he realised it was Tom's birthday - very sweet, Tom gave him a huge hug.  Abdul then treated us to a huge platter of starter - full of really lovely food especially the chickpea and paneer dish which was lovely.  We then had our curry and once again it was around 8.30 before we got back to the hotel.  Tom was getting quite fidgety and fractious towards the end of the evening, but only through tiredness, he ate a good dinner.  He was then quick to bed whilst we all retired to the bar a good day was had by all.

Zonked out!

Sunday we all had breakfast together and then we said goodbye to everyone and headed out to the Town Centre to the new softplay area at Telford Ice Rink to meet up with Tom's old friends - just as well we had organised this as it was a very very miserable day.  As is always the case with these parties, it was very manic.  Luckily the play area wasn't that busy (it is brand new and not yet well known), but it is impossible to see everyone and chat to everyone and spend as much time as you would like with everyone.  Tom had a great time, he was straight into the soft play and didn't really come out, all the children played really nicely with each other - it was good to see (although I didn't see much of it).  Apparently they were going round in a group, exploring together as most hadn't been before.  All the children got stuck in which was good and I got to hug baby Thomas who was adorable for a while:0)

The cake got demolished and Tom received yet more presents - all very kind and generous - we were just so happy to see Tom having fun with his friends and of course the chance to have a quick chat with everyone.  Tom went like a train, time went so fast that we extended our original going home time.  Before too long we had to say our goodbyes and take leave.  I wasn't there to see it but apparently Mae burst into tears when Tom said goodbye - Matt said he almost lost it as it was so emotional.  Mae promised to come to visit us soon.  We just about managed to fit all the extra presents in the car and then headed back home. Tom slept for 1.5 hours, clutching his treasured Land Rover.  When we got home, we lit a fire in the lounge (the house was freezing) and Tom opened his new presents.  We then had a dinner of spring rolls, ebi parcels and goats' cheese bruschettas (they were in the freezer left over from Christmas).  Tom was then in bed by 6.15 one exhausted but very happy boy.

Busy Weekend

My favourite animal

Saturday dawned bright and dry - at last a decent day.  Unfortunately we had some official business to do first for the house.  So off we went to Morecambe to get myself a Rangemaster Oven.  We seem to have a habit of buying houses from people that move their oven as well as everything else.  It happened to us in Telford, and again here.  The hole being left in Ingleton is 90cm - ie a range sized hole, so I have had to do some serious research into range cookers - a real chore as I'm sure you can imagine.  I have taken advice from my cakey friends and regular friends and decided on a Rangemaster with induction hob (there is no gas on the property I'm afraid).  It costs a fair amount of money, but I've been told it is worth it, I'm certainly looking forward to having 2 ovens to cook in.  Just need to buy some new pans now as our current ones don't work.

That done, we then went to Dunelm mill to buy a curtain rail (the owners are taking absolutely everything with them!) this took far too much deliberation.  Problem is that we need to buy a new bed (ours is on its last legs).  Not knowing what bed we are going to have, means we didn't know what colour curtain rail to buy.  This being our 'forever house' we want to decorate properly, not our usual haphazard - 'oh that will do for now' style.  We decided on a dark metal in the end, and just hope it works with whatever we end up choosing.  Not sure I / we are cut out for interior decoration!

One of the naughty bears

By 10.30 we were done shopping and got on with enjoying the day, so we headed for Grange-Over-Sands and did a quick bike ride on the prom.  Then lunch at the Motor Museum before heading off to South Lakes Animal Park - this is the last weekend it is free.  We thought it good last time we went so thought we would go again before they start charging again.  Many other people had the same idea - it was packed.  However, we were able to find space to enjoy ourselves.  I think we saw all the animals.  The giraffes were definitely the best, with one youngster deciding to run around his enclosure - I wouldn't say he was elegant, he was skidding and slipping all over the place and his neck was rippling in the air, but it certainly was fun to watch.  I even got to feed a giraffe some carrot which was fun.  We also saw a funny display between some Andean Bears and a Tapir.  They were in the same enclosure, we watched the Tapir break the ice in the pool and then poo in it.  The bears came over immediately, we thought in anger towards the Tapir, but one of the bears fished out some poo and then rolled his head in it????!!!!!  The other bears then came over and got very agitated and fights broke out.  All very engaging and interesting, but not really sure what was going on at all!

Tom had a great time, he was bouncing all over the place, we particularly enjoyed him telling us what he thought each animal ate for lunch, here's his list:



Tigers: cheese on toast
Leopards: grass
Lions: straw
Baboons: beef stew & dumplings
Reindeer: mud
Giraffes: porridge
Penguins: bread
Pythons: water

We stayed until almost closing time and then headed home via Booths to pick up some dinner.  Got home just before 5 - that was a very long, very expensive but very enjoyable day out.


Sunday dawned miserable, very grey, not quite raining but it was in the air.  We decided to try out the swimming pool at Hornby - they have a young family session on a Sunday morning.  I have taken Tom swimming by myself a couple of times during which he has really improved.  Matt was suitably impressed with both of us when he saw Tom in the water!  It has got to the stage now where Tom told me today that 'I don't need you to hold me Mummy!'.  He is very content in his armbands swimming whole lengths - up and down and up and down.  He still doesn't like jumping in, but his confidence has grown significantly.  I guess the next stage is to get the armbands off him - not sure how we do that.  I've been thinking about getting him to do some swimming lessons soon as he can now follow instruction and as I said is getting more and more confident AND enjoys it.  We had a really good session so rewarded Tom with lunch at Carnforth Station.  Not sure why because it was hard work getting him to eat it!

The Kent estuary at Arnside

Now it is getting lighter in the evening, we decided to go back to Arnside for the afternoon.  We had a walk along the shore in the mud, clambering over stones etc and then back for tea and a bun in the very good cafe there.  Tom was a star once again with his walking, not a whinge at all, he really does genuinely enjoy it.

Unfortunately when we got to the cafe we discovered that Tom had had an accident and not told us about it.  It was a big accident - he was soaked.  He has been getting lazier and lazier recently with his toilet.  He had a mini accident at Carnforth and another yesterday at the zoo.  We think that if he is really enjoying himself, he doesn't tell us he needs the toilet because he's worried the fun will come to an end.  We have tried to explain to him that this isn't the case, but need to be on our guard.  Oh hum, at least it is better than doing a poo - thankfully he hasn't done that for a long time.

We drove home, had dinner (curry) and then a quick shower and bed, Tom must have been tired, he didn't stop all day.