Japan Visits

Hiromi on our walk around Ingleton

So this weekend we were very excited because Hiromi, Sachiko and John came to visit.  We have been trying to tempt Hiromi to visit for a number of years (she comes to the UK quite regularly to visit Sachiko) but this was the first time.  We were very honoured, the house got quite a good clean and tidy up (very rare for us so it must mean something!)

Resting after a race at Malham Cove

They drove up from Bath on Saturday morning - it took them 6 hours (ouch, it only took us 5 hours to get to the otherside of Devon when we went down to visit Mum and Dad)  Oh well, we had lunch ready and waiting for them so they tucked in.

We were going to do the little circular walk around Ribblehead on Saturday afternoon - but it was too late by the time people were ready, so we stayed in Ingleton and did the little route around the
common instead.  This was fine, they enjoyed themselves (despite the rain) and they got to see a little of the Dales scenery - including some sheep.  We then went for tea in the 'other' tearoom before heading back home.

Hiromi, Sachiko and John

We had an adapted Beef in Beer for dinner and to my suprise and delight seconds and thirds were eaten, in fact it nearly all went (apart from the rice - I overdid that).  I always stress a little when we have Japanese people to stay as generally you never get a bad meal in Japan whilst of course it is easy to get a bad meal here.  I adapted the beef in beer with some soy sauce, sugar and tomatoes and think I got it just about right for Japanese taste - phew.  They also tucked into some homemade Bara Brith and fruit for pudding which was good.

Tom on a bridge

Enjoying a rest after a good walk

Sunday we gave them a full tour of the Dales (well as full as we could manage).  Matt went on his motorbike and I was chauffeur for the day (to give John and Sachiko a rest from yesterday).  First stop was Malham.  There was a lot of 'Sa-goi!' going on in the back as Hiromi got her first proper view of the Dales.  This landscape is certainly quite different to anything you see in Japan.  We parked for free (just outside of the National Park Centre) and then walked to Malham Cove.

It's a lovely and easy walk - except the very last bit which involves clambering over rocks to get to the cove itself.  Hiromi was up for it and clambered with everyone else - respect!  We sat there for a while watching climbers on the cove, and playing in the river (ie throwing stones for Tom).  I was wearing sandals so did some paddling - the water was FREEZING!.  By now the clouds had cleared and it was absolutely gorgeous - blue sky and hot.






Just the weather we ordered - how lucky were we?

In the river

We walked back towards the village, stopping for tea and a bun at a tea room on the way (very mediocre - mass produced scones - how disappointing)  Poor Tom on needing a wee, did one in the bushes, fell over and put his hand out to save himself by grabbing onto some nettles.  Ouch.  Luckily I had a rag in my bag, soaked it in the river and wrapped it round his arm which stopped the tears.  After about 30 minutes the stings had all but disappeared - takes much longer for me - I guess his immune system must be very efficient.

The gang

We walked back through the village, got the car and carried on our journey to Ribblehead.  All 3 passengers fell asleep as I weaved through the country lanes.

Tom stayed awake talking absolute nonsense.  He announced that he is going to run a pub:

+ It will serve beer, wine and whisky
+ It will serve food: lamb henry, curry, salmon and sukiyaki
+ It will also sell cars: Mitsubishi Lancers and Subarus
+ It is on August Street which is on the left
+ Toilets are on the right
+ Its name is 'Tom Young Pub'

I'm looking forward to it opening.

Splashing in puddles

Anyway back to the day.  We arrived at Ribblehead and found a good parking space (very lucky).  My three passengers woke up so we walked to the bridge and back for a good look.

Walking in the Dales

We then got back in the car and drove to Dent.  Dentdale is quite different to the other dales - very green, lots of trees and very very narrow roads including one bridge which is only just bigger than our car.

Although I think people did want to stay awake, before too long I had 3 nodding heads in the back again!  We found another good (free) parking space and headed into the village for a little look - Dent is pretty much unspoiled and therefore picturesque.  Some of its roads are still cobbled.  We stopped for tea and a bun again in another tea room (well tea and a bun for us, chips for Sachiko, John and Hiromi - all this sleeping is hungry work!)

Eating dinner outside!

We then headed back home via Barbondale but once again tiredness overtook the three sleepyheads in the back!

Not to worry, we had a good day and the weather was fantastic.  They certainly saw the place at its best.  We got home to the smell of roast chicken - good news dinner was cooking (we put the oven on timer).  An hour or so later we were sitting outside - yes OUTSIDE (it was that warm) eating roast chicken dinner.  Once again our guests tucked in.  I was amazed, all the vegetables went - just some chicken left over.  I couldn't believe it - seconds and thirds were consumed.  I was very chuffed.

Drinking and driving

Monday we had an easy morning and then took everyone to Country Harvest as Sachiko wanted to buy some local produce to take home.  We then said our goodbyes and they headed home (another 6 hour trip for them unfortunately).

We decided to head into the Lake District to go to The Miller Beck Light Railway - which is a privately run garden railway near Newby Bridge that I had heard about - it only opens to the public 8 weekends a year - this was one of them.  Once again we had a glorious day - bright blue sky and hot sunshine.  We turned up at Miller Beck just as it opened.  It was fantastic, I lost count of the number of engines they had: maybe about 6 steam engines  and 2 diesels and they were running constant rides.  £2.50 each for adults and £1.50 for children so very affordable.  We had one ride all together, then Matt and Tom had a ride and Tom and I had a ride.  The track was laid imaginatively, with lots of circuits, a bit through a 'forest' bridges over the beck etc meaning that a ride lasted about 15 minutes - much more than we were expecting.  Lots of families were there with picnics etc.  Next time we will do the same.

Oh - here's a video we took: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oPnqbckdXA

Two boys on a train

We had to drag ourselves away in the end but it was such a lovely day we wanted to do as much as possible outside.  We decided to head up to Tarn Hows again.  So we headed up the road, stopping off at Esthwaite Water for lunch at a cafe there (over priced but nice enough - teach us not to pack a picnic!).  We got to Tarn Hows around 1.30 and found a parking space which was lucky.  We did a quick circuit of the tarn - and it was much quicker than we expected - Tom was wearing his new walking boots - they are very speedy as we did the Tarn in about an hour - it has taken us 2-3 hours with him in the past!  It was as beautiful as ever - we really are lucky to live somewhere so close to such great scenery.

Beautiful Tarn Hows

Tom now wanted a bike ride (note to selves: next time we go to Tarn Hows we should let him take his bike as it will be good practise for him and it is safe).  So we decided to head to Grange.  We told him to have a sleep beforehand so he nodded off and we parked up at Lakeside to watch the boats whilst he snored away.  We then headed to Grange.  Tom woke up just as we arrived - he was raring to go.  We headed to the prom, then Tom rode and Matt ran whilst I walked with all the bags - I HATE running.

Tarn Hows

When we got back we were starving so we hunted for a pub.  We ended up at the Commodore Inn right next to the railway.  It doesn't have much kerb appeal, but we could sit outside so we were happy and to be fair the food was good.  Scampi and chips for the boys and a good ploughmans for me.




We then headed home, exhausted but happy.  It had been another glorious day.  We were all in bed before 10!

Resting after a good bike ride

Helping Daddy

Helping Daddy

So as Tom has a new bike, we have put his old one up on a local site for sale.  We put the stabilisers back on for the photo.  Tom helped Daddy do this.  It made a nice picture.

London Calling

We have had a rather hectic week - on Thursday we went down to London to see Pat and Bob and then on Monday we came back home with Bob who stayed for two nights.  So Tom has been royally spoilt and has had a wonderful time.

Thursday
We headed into Lancaster early and discovered a really nice cafe just down the road from the station which was good - we have always struggled for somewhere nice to eat in Lancaster as most cafes seem to be focussed on serving huge quantities of poor quality food for as little money as possible.

We then got the pendalino to London Euston.  All went well - train arrived on time and get this - Tom fell asleep for a good 40 minutes!  We managed to get a seat each so Tom had space to lie down.  We shared a table with a lovely grannie from Glasgow and a very camp business man, both of whom were quite chatty, so the time went really quickly.  When we arrived in Euston Bob was waiting for us and the Scottish Grannie went up to him to say what a lovely grandson he has - time to feel proud.

We then got the underground and train to Mortlake where we met Grannie.  Dinner was on the table in now time and Tom ate a huge 2 helpings of Mossaka and gave me strict instructions to make sure that we have it at home.

Friday

Concentrating Hard

We headed down to North Greenwich to sail across the Thames on the Emirates Air Line.  Unfortunately it was a very grey day so the view wasn't as great as it could be, but it was still fun.  The Air Line is quite close to London City Airport and a plane took off whilst we were in the cable car so that was pretty interesting.  

Once we had done our round trip we had tea and a bun at Costa Coffee (oh new idea for Lily Pad Bakery - bun was a giant sized Tunnocks tea cake - there are lots of opportunities for goodies like that - giant jaffa cakes, giant iced gems, giant jammy dodgers, giant Bourbons, etc etc - something to keep in mind)  We then went for a look round the O2 - I hadn't been there before and was curious.  I didn't really expect to see much as it is mainly just a huge venue, but there is quite a long street within it containing nearly every branded restaurant you can think off: Nandos, Harvester, TGI Fridays, Aberdeen Angus Steak House, Garfunkels etc etc.  You name it, it was there, although there wasn't any fast food.  Anyway it was much nicer inside than I was expecting.  

Excited boy waiting for a train

We then headed out on the underground to Stratford and Westfield Shopping Centre for lunch.  Found a nice Italian cafe which wasn't too busy.  The adults had a panini each and Tom had a risotto rice ball which was huge and very delicious (Matt and I had to help him).  Tom was looking quite tired at this stage and I was worried that he wouldn't be able to enjoy the rest of the day.  I was wrong, I guess the risotto ball was what he needed as he regained his energy and did really well for the rest of the day.

Next on the agenda was a ride on the DLR - this is very important as the DLR is driverless so small boys can sit at the front and pretend to drive it.  So that is what he did - he wasn't too bad, but not that great at looking where he was going (of course!)  We then went back to Stratford and bought a 10p platform ticket each to go on the Eurostar platform in the hope of seeing one - we did just as we were about to give up which was good.

We then got the underground to Liverpool Street and 2 buses (double deckers of course) to Waterloo and then back to Mortlake - a pure indulge the boy with as many vehicles as possible day.  Tom was very happy and very well behaved.  He carried on to eat a good plate of bbq turkey that Grannie prepared.

Saturday

Driver Tom

Saturday was the boys' day out.  I went to London to do some shopping - Japanese ingredients from the Japan Centre in Piccadily and a walk down Oxford Street visiting Pepperberry and Primark for me and the boy.

Tom and Grandpa

As is customary for our trips to London, one of our days there ended up being a boys' day out (as Nik mentioned). So, Tom, Dad and I decided to head to the Great Western Railway Centre at Didcot as they had steam trains running that day. We took the local train a couple of stops to Richmond, then another train to Reading (which passed through a seemingly endless succession of dreary commuter towns - Feltham, Staines, Bracknell, Wokingham, Winnersh and Reading itself), followed by a quick 15 minutes on a High Speed Train to Didcot.

Given that it was a Saturday during the summer holidays, the railway centre was surprisingly free of crowds, and we managed to see (and ride on) all the trains we liked without any delay. It's actually an excellent place, lots to see and do and a refreshing lack of health and safety restrictions. We were able to clamber on almost all the locomotives in the engine shed and quite a few wagons outside.

They had two trains running - a steam locomotive pulling a couple of very comfortable old coaches, and a strange old steam-powered railcar. There was also a diesel shunter (Diesel in the Thomas books) pottering about doing odd jobs. The weather forecast for the day was pretty grim, but the rain held off until around 2:30, by which time we had seen more or less everything we wanted to see, so we decided to retrace our steps back to Mortlake, this time with a 30 minute break at Reading to watch an assortment of trains go by.

The railcar

Tom was told in no uncertain terms that he needed to have a sleep on the train from Reading to Richmond, but couldn't seem to get comfortable on the seats. However, two minutes after resting his head on my lap, he was out like a light and had to be woken forcibly just before we arrived at Richmond.

The sleep definitely did him good, though, as he munched his way (as usual) through an adult-sized portion of curry, rice, naan bread and poppadoms before a short stint in the garden watching the planes go over, followed by bath, bed and the usual 12 hours of happy sleep.

In the park

Sunday

Sunday we headed out of town to Marlow - not sure I've ever been there before.  It is on the river Thames and is one of those very picturesque Berkshire villages - somewhere where property is ridiculously expensive.  I think we could probably just afford a garage there.  Anyway there was a good playground which Tom explored well, a roundabout which Tom had 3 yes THREE goes on and a lock where you can watch boats coming and going and river levels going up and down.  It took a while for Tom to fathom it out but he got there in the end and was happy running up and down watching what was going on.

We had lunch in a nice cafe - good quality food, but quite over-priced, we definitely felt we were in the posh south-east.

Watching boats in the lock

After a last play in the playground we made our way back to the car.  We thought Tom would fall asleep in the car on the way home, but no - he was too interested in everything around him (Matt almost did though).  Oh well.

Another good day, rounded off with salmon for dinner - Tom ate his almost without drawing breath.  

Monday

Monday came round too quickly.  We took Grannie to work first thing and had an explore around her shop.  We then had a quick lunch and headed into London with Grandpa.  We went in early so we could experience the first class lounge at Euston (we were travelling first class back home as when we bought the tickets first class was cheaper than second class)  It was a little disappointing - I think we got there exactly at the wrong time - it was busy and dirty.   It did clear out and we had a free drink each, (Tom also had some biscuits) but really it wasn't worth getting there early for the experience.

We got our seats, we thought it wouldn't be that busy - we were wrong, it was packed, so Tom and I had to share a seat for the whole journey.  Not to worry though, he fell asleep after about an hour, cuddled into me and stayed asleep for a good 45 minutes.  We were a little late getting into Lancaster due to a passenger turning ill on the journey up meaning that the train had to stop in Crewe so an ambulance crew could attend (they did a call for a Dr to make themselves known on the train - not heard that before)

We stopped off at The Bridge Inn on the way home for a very satisfying dinner (Grandpa couldn't help but keep putting food on Tom's plate - he ate it all - we were all quite hungry)

Tuesday
Tuesday I stayed at home for the day - trying to get ahead of myself with baking etc.  I didn't have as productive day as I hoped.  I made a round ball cake - but got the quantity of cake batter wrong meaning it didn't turn out as a full ball.  Oh hum, at least it was a practice run and not for an order needed today.  I also iced some biscuits, iced some drums, did some lettering ready for cakes coming up towards the end of August.  I worked pretty much the whole time they were away but felt I should have been able to do more.


Tom, Matt and Bob headed over to the Lake District for another boys' day out.

Bassenthwaite

Yes, the boys headed out in the car to Bassenthwaite, as that's where my Dad's brother Colin had stipulated he would like his ashes scattered. We went by the longer (but quicker) motorway route, stopping at Tebay Services for a break. Those services are far and away the best in the country, being operated by a local farm collective, and could easily be a destination in their own right - the shopping really is that good. So good, in fact, that our collection of Herdy paraphernalia grew by one item.
We then stopped for "tea and a bun" at a very small garden centre just outside Keswick, before heading the last couple of miles to a parking area/café near the shore of Bassenthwaite, from which we walked a mile or so to the shore, just by a pretty little church called St. Bega's. It was a very tranquil spot surrounded by water and mountains, and I think Colin would have approved of the location.

We then headed back to the car and, after an unsuccessful search for a pub, toddled the few miles back into Keswick where we managed to get a very nice diner-style lunch at a café called The Filling Station, which used to be just that. There was a fair bit of motorcycle memorabilia in the café, and we also got chatting to someone who arrived on a Triumph Thunderbird. Tom was allowed to sit on a Royal Enfield inside the diner, and we tried to get him to adopt a racing crouch on the bike, but he was having none of it (as you can see).

The new bike

We decided to head back the scenic route via Ambleside and Windemere, but (surprise surprise) somebody fell fast asleep in the back of the car, so we ended up sat in a lay by near Grasmere for about 20 minutes before heading into Ambleside. I had been hoping to get Tom some proper walking boots, as I'm planning to get him to the top of Whernside before the summer is out, and we managed to get him some, in his favourite colour no less. The real treat, however, came when I popped my head inside a very high-end bicycle shop and my eyes fell upon exactly the type of bike we were hoping to get him very soon. Bright red, light weight, 16 inch wheels, low seat and no horrible Disney characters on it. Plus, it was £40 cheaper than the Isla bike I'd been considering. A great result.

We then headed home, where Tom naturally wanted to take his new bike across the road to the car park and try it out. His "adjusting to a new bike" period lasted approximately 5 seconds, after which he was zooming around as if he'd been riding it for years. Great to see.

Wednesday
Bob and Matt took Tom to nursery in the morning.  When they got back I took Bob for a walk round the village and then took him back to Lancaster train station for his journey home.

Big thanks to Bob and Pat for looking after us so well and playing so nicely with the boy - he certainly has been spoiled and very much enjoyed himself.  He's not fully enjoying the return to the regime of Mum and Dad!

Nice photo

One of Matt's friends dropped in today on her way home from her holiday.  She came with her two children: Freya 6 and Xander 3, after a while Tom played nicely with them and we took them out to see the village and have a play in the park.

Happy Family

When we got home Lynne took some photos of the 3 of us - they came out really well so thought I would put a couple up here for you.  I can't decide which one is better.

Happy Family MarkII

Day with Mae

Playing in the wind

On Monday Tom had a treat, I had arranged a day with Mae.  Rachel had planned a trip 'up North' so we could meet up.  Her sisters and parents live in the Manchester and Wirral area so she stayed with them and then we met up half way - which unfortunately is Preston.

I don't know if anyone knows Preston, but I've only been there twice and really haven't found anything of worth there.  The routes in and out aren't particularly scenic, the buildings dreary and both times the weather has been pretty rubbish.

Mae, Tom and Lucy

Oh hum, not to worry, we were meeting up with Mae.  As it was raining, we decided to do the same as last time - ie meet up at a soft play area and then hope the weather gets a bit better so we could go to a park.  We went to the same soft play area and the same park.  The good thing about Preston is that no-one goes

there on holiday, so both areas weren't too busy - with a proportion of the population on holiday elsewhere.

Tom was a little shy when he first met Mae.  He wouldn't say hello or give her a hug, but after a couple of minutes and a little talking to, he warmed up and as soon as we got into the soft play, the two were off playing together.  In fact we saw little of them, they came back every now and again for a drink and food but that was it (apart from a couple of incidents with Tom - of course)

Lucy

Lucy has grown significantly again and is almost the spitting double of Mae - you can certainly tell they are sisters - especially as they were wearing exactly the same clothes (Rachel's been itching to do that for a while).  Anyway a good time was had by all - Rachel and I managed to have a really good catch up and girlie


chat.  Lucy fell asleep after a fantastic tantrum over some chips.

Sharing a tyre

After testing the weather a couple of times, the sun finally came out so we left the soft play (after 4 hours!) and went to the park.  (I got lost (followed the sat nav rather than using my instinct!))  Here we got the bikes out and Tom and Mae went for a spin, whilst Lucy travelled in the pram.  All 3 then had a good play in the playground before we reluctantly said our goodbyes.  A good time was had by all, it is so good to see that they are still good friends and obviously really still enjoy each others company.  They spent a solid 6 hours together and there wasn't a cross word.   In the car Tom said to me "I miss Mae everyday".  Bless him.




Rachel said that she is getting braver travelling with the two girls - she even said that she might come to stay soon.  That would be good.  It is so good living in the age where you don't loose touch with old friends.  I hope Tom and Mae remain friends for a number of years yet.  Next task is to find somewhere near Preston that is nice for us all to meet up next time Rachel is staying with her family.  Anyone got any ideas?

 

Another Quiet Weekend

This weekend was quiet as well - something to do with very active weeks meaning Tom zonks out on a Saturday afternoon and with Matt playing cricket on a Saturday it means I get some free (cake making) time.

Hanging around

Tom had a very active week.  Monday I dragged him round a very soggy Kendal getting all his things for school.   He spent Tuesday doing Enjoy-a-Ball with Paul for 6 hours.  He did it last week as I needed childcare to get a wedding cake finished.  I felt quite guilty taking him as he didn't know anyone (except Paul).  He had to take his own packed lunch - a new experience (very exciting apparently) and make new friends etc.  He loved it!!!  He enjoyed himself so much that he asked to go back this week - so I had to get on the phone to Paul and arrange for him.  It meant that I got a free day - meaning that I could take longer over this week's birthday cake - a knitting and sewing themed cake which looked quite good in the end.

And again...

Wednesday and Thursday mornings he spent at nursery and afternoons down in the pool with Sam and Ben from next door.  Friday morning was swimming lessons followed by a picnic in the park with a couple of his classmates which went really well.

Then it was Saturday - phew!!!!  He spent the morning with Matt in Settle looking at trains, getting his hair cut etc whilst I attacked the house - it has been getting messier and messier to the point it was getting us all down, so I shooed the boys out whilst I scrubbed it from head to toe.  I got upstairs done in the morning and the lounge whilst Tom was asleep in the afternoon.  We then headed down to the cricket ground to watch Matt play cricket.  Sam and Ben were there as well as Tom (their Dad) was also playing.  They ended up running round and round the ground giggling!

On the train

Sunday we decided to head to an Ice-cream farm that Lindsey (Freya's Mum) told me about.  It is near a village called Grassington which is very 'Dalesy' so we headed over for a look and found some really interesting shops selling really nice, individual things for very reasonable prices.  We then headed to the Ice-Cream Farm and found a really good facility.  You pay £1 to use the play barns (full of huge wooden structures in the shape of various vehicles: tractor / bus / airplane etc etc) and then you have to eat and drink their food and drink which is fair enough.  Tom had a ball.

Gooning about on the bikes

We booked in for lunch (their restaurant is in the style of an American Diner) and had to wait 1.5 hours to be fitted in.  Needless to say we were STARVING by the time we got lunch, but we got a very good lunch - pulled pork sandwiches for Matt and me and Macaroni cheese for Tom with fries and homemade Boston beans which were absolutely delicious.  All finished off with some ice cream (of course you can't go to an ice cream farm and not try it!)

Tom had another play and then we headed home.  He fell asleep as is usual these days.  We spent the rest of the day wishing we hadn't had eaten so much for lunch and retired early to bed.

Quiet Weekend

We had a very quiet weekend last weekend - so much so that we didn't take any photos!  Matt played cricket on the Saturday, we went fruit picking in the morning at a local PYO - we got raspberries, gooseberries, black currants and rhubarb.  The main reason for this is jam making - Matt's new bread machine has a jam function and he was very keen to try it out.  We have been saving up glass jars and figured we had enough to start so off we went.  Tom turned out to be a very good raspberry picker - and he didn't eat any - what a good boy.

We had lunch at home, then Matt went to play cricket, Tom went for a sleep (he seems to need afternoon sleeps on Saturdays at the moment - I guess we are packing in the activities at the moment) and I worked on cake things.

Sunday we headed to a village near Bradley to meet up with one of Matt's translator friends who was visiting home from Japan with her two boys - Ryū (6) and Ryōki (2).  The three boys got on really well with each other - the boys spoke some English, but really the spoken language isn't completely necessary when you have toys to play with and a park to play in.

After a run around outside by the river, we came back to rice balls and Shepherd's Pie - Tom shovelled his down (fusion cooking is great isn't it?!)  We reluctantly had to say goodbye after lunch, popped into Tescos in Skipton (rubbish) and then headed home - Tom fell asleep - he really has very little stamina!

No more nose bleeds

So the magic cream the Dr gave us worked.  No more nose bleeds - yahoo!