Gala and Trains

So after a glorious week, Saturday the weather broke and it rained.  Poo!!!!  Why?  Because today is the Village Gala and I had helped with the float for Nursery and Reception.  Our float is celebrating 80 years of Ingleton Swimming Pool and was very home made with the nursery kids doing quite a bit of the painting.  This was all organised by Rachael (of Neptis) of course - the best organiser in town and although people weren't forthcoming to help initially, once the ball was rolling, suddenly people came out of the woodwork to help.

Front of the float - hummm, very home made!

We did a couple of sessions up at the school designing and painting - the weather was glorious each time, meaning we were basically sunbathing whilst painting which was good fun and I got to meet a lot more mums.  On Friday night we all came together to put everything on the truck.  Most people brought their children with them - it was a really good atmosphere, the children all got on with each other with hardly any tears (and any tears were due to heat / tiredness it was the last day of school after all!).  It came together really well.  We got back home around 7pm, then Tom went to bed and I headed over to Janine's for her birthday do.  A busy day but good fun.

The finished float

As I said earlier Saturday dawned grey and rainy.  It wasn't cold, but it was raining.  Oh hum. At noon, which is when we met at the school the train did clear for a while and the heavy rain did hold off until we were done.  The route took us around Burnmoor Crescent, up Back Gate, down the high street the wrong way and into the sports field.  We armed the kids with water pistols and they had loads of fun squirting people as they went round.  We refilled the buckets at our house (I slopped water over Tom's feet as I ran with the bucket back to the truck and for my effort got a screaming, crying Tom!!!!!)  Great Tom, do I tend to him or go back and lock the house up again, which ever I did it was bound to be wrong - he does choose his moments!!!!!  He calmed down after a while and continued on.  I think he had fun - it was all a bit strange for him I think so he wasn't completely relaxed.

It was a bit of a squeeze to fit everyone on

We came second in the float competition - sounds good doesn't it?  There were only 3 floats!!!!  Didn't matter, we had fun.  We then hung around the gala field for a good couple of hours watching some displays (bike skills, gymnastics, sheep dogs chasing ducks etc etc)  we enjoyed it and didn't get too wet in the rain.  It was such a shame though for organisers, the only wet day in ages, the field wasn't at all busy!!!!!

If you were wondering where Matt was in all this - he was helping to marshall the fell race and volunteered to climb to the top of Ingleborough to do so (what a hero!) - he got wetter and colder than us!  Tom and I went to meet him on his way down and we decided a pizza at the Italian was the way to go for dinner - we all deserved it!

Tom and Evie on the train

Isaac, Evie and Tom

Sunday of course it dawned bright and sunny - typical!!!!!  We decided to head to Cinderbarrow (near Burton in Kendal) where on a Sunday there is a garden railway to ride.  This is a smaller scale than Miller Beck, but still quite impressive and all run by donation.  We had a ride on a diesel and a mini steam train and then who should turn up but Evie (one of the girl's in Tom's class who is soft on Tom) so he went on again with Evie.  I wasn't on the train this time, but apparently there was a lot of giggling going on.

We left to go for lunch at Ireby Farm Shop - fantastic quality as always and then came home.  Matt went for a bike ride with Rob whilst Tom and I did some chores and then headed over to Caroline's for a afternoon with Fred and Frank.  We all had a good time - a good outdoors day with everyone in good humour.