Easter Bunny Drive

Term finished on Thursday for Tom.  The evening was spent at school doing the Easter Bunny Drive (me and my big mouth suggested a Beetle Drive having been to one once at the first PTA meeting so my name was put down to do it for Easter!)  Although I have arranged big events for Compass etc in the past - this was a very different kettle of fish - working to a budget of £0 and trying to get people who are famously stingy to open their wallets and spend!

We ran a non-uniform day last Friday in exchange for Easter treats, and then bundled these into lots of hampers for prizes and the grand raffle.  They looked amazing.  I spent this week constantly advertising it on Facebook, hoping that some people would turn up.

A lot more people turned up than we thought - over 150 and we made £478 on the night, so it was a success, although there was a LOT of cheating going on.  Not sure how to stop that from happening?  I'm not sure that any winner did actually win fair and square.  Oh hum.

We will see whether people think this was a good idea and do it again next year.  Apparently nothing like it had been done at the school before and everyone, even the head teachers were amazed with the organisation and turn out, so I guess I did ok.

Parent's Evening

On Tuesday we had parent's evening.  It was very enjoyable, full of positives rather than the negatives of last year.  What a big difference a teacher can make.  Apparently his mental arithmetic is way above the standard for his age, he keeps astounding her with it - but other areas of his maths aren't as good eg solving worded problems - eg "How many legs will you find on 2 cows and 3 chickens" meaning overall he is on the expected line, but she thinks this is his definite strength - we would agree too.  His writing is fine, but he has to be cajoled, as he doesn't see the point of it - we would agree here too.

His negatives would be: having too much energy in the classroom leading to some unsuitable behaviour and constant fidgeting.  Even she is at a loss as to what to do about the fidgeting, so he's back on the front line during carpet time to try to stop him looking around etc.  Apparently he plays very well with his friends and is kind and empathetic.  She told us a story about a time when one of his friends, Evie, fell over and gashed herself in the cloakroom.  He saw it happen, but had just been told to sit down and do some work, apparently he had a look of horror on his face and was unable to talk as he was so conflicted - he didn't know whether to go to her help or stay where he had been told to stay.  I think he ended up needing more comforting than her!!!!

We had a look through his work so could see what he's been getting up to, his writing is a lot worse at school than it is at home, however, I basically stand over him at home to make him do it correctly!  We came out feeling very pleased.  Let's hope parent's evenings stay like this from now on.

Big City and Big CountryMe

Last Saturday we had a day on the train to Leeds as it was the last weekend when we could get our big discounts on train tickets.  The main reason for this was to go to Miller & Carter for a steak dinner - we haven't been to one since living in Telford. 

Tom, of course was very pleased - he always likes a day out on the train.  We got the late train in, so on arrival to Leeds went straight to the restaurant.  The food was as good as we remember, but the service was better.  I was 'Madam', Matt 'Sir' and Tom 'Young Master'.  The waiter got down on his knees to speak to Tom and made him feel very special. 

It wasn't the cheapest meal we've ever had (mainly because Tom is such a dustbin - he had a child's macaroni cheese and half an adult's portion of ribs) but it was very lovely, and anyway we won on the lottery this weekend which exactly paid for it - so you could say it was free.  Certainly a good fooding experience.

We spent the rest of the day looking round shops, I got myself a swimsuit from Bravissimo which fits me perfectly (a first), and Tom was treated to a pot of pick and mix lego for a good school report.  We then went to Wasabi and bought ourselves some sushi to take home for tea.  A good day.

Chocolate from the magic tree

Cuddles

Sunday morning we went round to the Atkinsons for a play. We then headed over to Barbon for lunch in the cafe and then to Blindbeck Bridge for a play and a little walk.  This is the walk with the magic chocolate tree - there is always chocolate waiting for him in a particular tree on the path, so we had to go and find it.  

Playing trolls

We then strolled back, played trolls on the bridge, and then went the scenic way back to Ingleton along the road with the many bridges that need to be manually opened.  We then had a lazy afternoon at home.

School Report

We got Tom's school report today, it was a huge improvement on last year's one.  Phew!  He's doing well, is at the expected level for everything and is kind and fun.  Can't really ask for more.  We were very pleased and relieved.

Swimming

Tom has had a pretty bad cold all week (think maybe we overdid it at the weekend).  Even though he was ill he still went to school and insisted on football and swimming.  In fact when I suggested he didn't go swimming we had complete meltdown!  We relented after he ate a good dinner and to be fair to him he was really good during the lesson - so much so that he has now been moved up a class. He is now wearing googles and spends most of his lessons under the water - a whole new world has opened up to him!!!

School trip

New bus driver

Tom's class had a school trip this week, and Miss Swindlehurst asked if I (Matt) would go along as a responsible adult. I was quite flattered.

Class 2's topic for this half term is transport, and one of Ingleton's main employers is Bibby's of Ingleton - a bus and coach company. There are two Bibby children in Tom's class, and their parents organised a trip to the depot.

After the obligatory health and safety briefing, we set off, with everyone wearing hi-vis jackets. I was a designated lollipop man, and had to stand in the middle of the A65, praying the trucks would stop, rather than flattening me.

Bibby's allowed the kids to clamber all over a modern coach and truck as well as a beautiful vintage example of each. Nothing got broken, but one of the girls tripped and smashed her nose - blood everywhere. Fortunately, her mum was another of the responsible adults, and was very calm about it - she's a nurse.

Old bus driver

Tom was partnered with his friend Caitlin (a lovely lass), and they were both clearly delighted with the arrangement, hugging each other every couple of minutes - very sweet.

Anyway, apart from the bleeding nose, nothing else untoward happened, and it was a joy to spend a couple of hours with Tom and his pals. It was another reminder of just what a great bunch of kids they are.  He couldn't be in a nicer group.

Busy Weekend

Near Ewloe Castle

It was a busy weekend this weekend.  We got Tom from school and popped him in the car and drove to Longlands in Carnforth where I delivered a wedding cake.  We then headed down the M6 towards Chester.  Now this is when living as far north as we do works out, the motorway was jammed heading north, but we happily drove down an empty road, only slowing down when we joined the M56.  We got to Saughall and the Watsons in just an hour and a half, which on a Friday evening is remarkable.  Great for Tom - meant he had more playing time.  True to form, Cameron wasn't at home (he was in China) but that didn't matter.  After a good nosh and more play, the children went to sleep and we drank wine and chatted.  All the way to midnight - how very naughty of us!

Beachcombing

In the morning we had breakfast, visited the local farmer's market and were then on our way to Mold to visit Auntie Jude and Craig.  After an explore around Craig's house, we headed out to Wepre Park where there was a play area and a very reasonably priced cafe.  So after a play on all the equipment, we headed to the cafe for lunch.  As seems to be usual, the smallest person got the biggest lunch - Tom opted for omelette, which is quite strange for him and unbeknown to us, it came with chips - so he had a huge plate of food whilst the rest of us had a sandwich each!  To be fair to him he ate most of what was on his plate.  We then headed off through the woods to Ewloe Castle - a tumble down castle on top of a hill in the woods.  We clambered around and then headed back.  After a cup of tea for the adults at Craig's place we then headed into Mold to visit a rather good sweet shop to find a treat for the lad.  It was a busy place with a mind boggling number of sweets on offer - too much for Tom to compute so he ended up getting a lucky dip bag (as did Matt - he's a child at heart!)  We then returned to Craig's house and were treated to wonderful smells of dinner being made whilst we watched the rugby (Tom really got into the rugby).  Dinner was pot roast pig with huge Yorkshire puddings, roast spuds and parsnips and carrots, followed by a very good apple, pear and blackberry crumble.  It warmed us up and gave us happy bellies - thanks Craig.  Tom went to bed around 8pm and we tried to stay up, but with the fire burning bright and a glass of wine in us, we struggled and all ended up going to bed around 10 - rock n roll!

Running the dunes

On Sunday, Craig gave Tom a choice of things to do, and he decided on a visit to the beach so after a hearty breakfast we headed off to Talacre.  Considering I had never heard of it, it was a really nice place.  A big sandy beach with dunes behind.  We walked down to the shore, paddled in the water and collected lots of shells.  After playing on the dunes, we explored around an old lighthouse before returning to the car.  It was a lovely day with blue skies, was lovely to stroll in the sea air, in fact we felt quite windswept by the time we returned to the cars.  We then headed off to Abakhan - a textile and craft shop with a cafe and play area - oh and a huge ferry which has been beached and is slowly rotting away.  It was a night club for a while, but the owners ran out of money and it is now derelict and rusting in the sea air - a strange sight.  We had lunch, I went ribbon shopping and then we said our goodbyes and headed home.  Even though Tom had heavy eyes he refused to sleep so it was a quick dinner and straight to bed for him!

Football

Tom did much much better at football this week - he was a star - tackling, scoring goals and generally being a star.  I was really proud of him.

Edinburgh and Night Nurse

The lurgy entered our house this week.  First Matt got it, then as he was recovering I got it.  We got different versions: Matt had a sore throat, followed by runny nose etc, whilst I got an achy back, kept going hot and cold, and then coughs, runny nose etc.  Our plan was to go to Edinburgh for the day on Saturday - we had train tickets booked in advance and had made arrangements to meet up with the Blezards at a museum called Dynamic Earth, but on Friday night I had a second night in a row of very little sleep and felt pretty ropey when we got up at 6.45 so the boys decided to go without me, whilst I crawled back into bed again.

Edinburgh by Matt:

Clubbing a dinosaur

Well, Saturday was supposed to be a family trip to Edinburgh, but with Nik feeling very much under the weather, it turned out to be a boys’ day out.

It was actually quite an early start - we left home at around 7:15, drove to Lancaster, and got on the train bang on time at just after 8 o'clock. It was pretty empty, and Tom and I managed to get a set of four seats, plus table, all to ourselves - very handy for doing Tom's homework, which we completed before we passed through Penrith.

It’s only a couple of hours to Edinburgh, and the journey passed very quickly. For some reason, the train sat at Haymarket station for nearly a quarter of an hour before finally limping into Waverley, where we spent about half an hour watching trains, most of which were different shapes and colours from what Tom is used to in Yorkshire. We then toddled off into the nearby shopping centre, mainly to find a little present for Nik in the hope that it would cheer her up. We got slightly waylaid in a whisky shop, but what can you do?

We then got the bus down to Our Dynamic Earth, which was the reason for the trip in the first place. We were the only passengers on the bus, and it didn't stop at a single stop between Princes Street and the Museum, so it was basically just a very large and very inexpensive taxi.

Scary monster

We had arranged to meet up with Neil, Rory and Lewis there, but they were slightly delayed due to Rory playing football in Dollar in the morning. So, Tom and I had a very good and very cheap lunch while we waited for them. They arrived just as we finished eating, very handy, so we got our tickets and headed down to the dome theatre, which is effectively a planetarium that shows films relating to astronomy and outer space. The reclining seats were superbly comfortable, and the visuals in the film were truly stunning - worth the entry fee in themselves. After that, we did the rest of the exhibition, which included an earthquake simulation (rubbish, and I know I'm talking about) and a 4D Cinema. I wondered how Tom would cope with this, so I held his hand as the lights went out. The first section, which was as if we were flying on the back of an eagle, went very well but we then returned to Earth and when a scorpion flexed its sting at us, he nearly jumped out of his skin but remained silent. This is going well I thought, only for a large rhinoceros to turn towards us and then charge out of the screen in terrifying 3-D. This was too much, and there was a brief period of apocalyptic screaming.

Lewis, Rory and Tom

I managed to calm him down fairly quickly though, and we then retired to the soft play area, just what he needed. After buying him a pack of volcano Top Trumps to reward him for being a reasonably brave boy, we were about to leave when we noticed a short queue for the dome theatre. Very kindly, the guide let us in for a second showing (of a different film), which I enjoyed every bit as much as the first.
I think the museum cost £20 for the two of us - good value in my opinion.

Neil gave us a quick left back to Waverley, where we bought our tea for the train, didn't buy any whisky (I was overwhelmed by the choice, and couldn't make a decision). We then watched trains for another 20 minutes or so, including an absolutely beautiful-looking Pullman charter train on its way to Aviemore. We would both have liked to get on and head north, but we needed to get home to a sick Mummy.

Big mouth for a big tea!

As on the way up, we had loads of room and a whole table to ourselves. I think our dinner had been demolished before we even got to Carstairs. We played a bit of Uno, and Tom had a half hearted go at the Virgin trains kids that I picked up in the on board shop.

We got back to Lancaster pretty much on time, drove home, and told Mummy all about our day out. To be honest, she was looking pretty rough, and I could feel a nasty sore throat coming on too, so we both took some Night Nurse. What do they put in that stuff? We both slept about 10 hours straight through, but woke up feeling like dead people, and continued to feel like dead people all day.

Still, it was a nice day out in Scotland, and Tom was excellent company. Now that he's that bit older, is generally a joy to be with when we are out doing things, especially when it involves high-speed train travel.

Skipton Castle courtyard

OMG - I had the best night's sleep in years.  It took me a good hour to come to after Tom woke me up, being barely able to communicate with him.  Matt was the same.  Luckily we didn't have much planned for today.  Skipton Castle had free entrance to locals today but didn't open until noon, so we had plenty of time to drag ourselves out of bed, get dressed and drive over.  We needed it too!  Matt and I stayed in a zombie state for the whole day.  We had lunch in a tea room in Skipton and then looked round the castle (very well preserved old castle) but our hearts weren't really in it.  We came straight home and were back by 3pm.  We then decided to watch Shrek as we were incapable of anything else.  Tom wanted to play football????!!!!!!  He was persuaded Shrek would be better.  Considering his heart wasn't in it he did well, but he did cry at one point (of course - we are talking about Tom after all!)

We were very happy when it was finally time for us to go to bed.

Sports

Tom started with his football with Jordan on Tuesday.  Unfortunately he didn't do great - ie he danced around the ball rather than trying to get in and tackle for it.  That age old problem of bravery again!  He is scared of getting kicked and hurt, so when we got home, Matt and I kicked him in the shins to prove to him it doesn't hurt (he's got shin pads).  To be fair to him most of his friends were the same, although Blaise (Ruth's little one) who is in Reception was straight in - and showed everyone up.

On Wednesday Tom had his swimming lesson and did really well - including 2 whole lengths without stopping.  He's certainly 'getting it' with his swimming, just need to get him to go under water a bit more and there will be no stopping him.

Quiet Weekend

We had a very quiet weekend this weekend.  I started off going out on Friday night to The Old Post Office, I had a bottle of wine, and although not hungover on Saturday, I wasn't particularly bright.  After deliberating what to do, we decided on a trip to Skipton.  I opened up Tom's first savings account last week at the Skipton Building Society so we raided his money boxes and pulled out all the notes - he had £110!  He took them to desk and put them into his account.  Trying to teach him about saving.

We also wanted to have lunch at The Woolly Sheep which won best pub of the year last year.  We weren't disappointed.  Cosy pub, roaring fire, interesting beer, good service and interesting menu.  We then did a bit more exploring, found the canal some more interesting shops (Skipton doesn't believe in chain stores, meaning there is a real good mix of shops in town).

The rain appeared so we decided to call it a day and head home.  It was Ingleton Pantomine in the evening.  This year it was Sleeping Beauty.  The seating is done so that children sit at the front and adults at the back.  Tom took his place, and guess who was next to him - only Isabella - perfect!

The panto was fab.  Considering it was a small village production I thought it was brilliant.  Lots of local 'in jokes' mostly jibes at Bentham.  The Dame was brilliant, dance sequences good, children enthusiastic.  Tom was one of the first children up on the stage and the first one in the queue for sweets!  Oh and Matt won a box of 3 bottles of Hawkshead beers in the raffle, so all in all it was a great evening and very cheap at only £12 for all of us.

Sunday we had a very quiet day.  In the morning we went to visit the Atkinsons in their new house (well extended house).  It wasn't very recognisable, but lovely.  It's going to be fantastic when finished.  The kids all played nicely together and we were able to sit down and chat which was nice.

We then went to Ireby for lunch and headed home as it was very cold and windy.  We spent the afternoon watching Jungle Book.  Tom enjoyed it - especially The Bare Necessities but he did get upset when Shere Khan appeared but he didn't cry for long and on the whole gave it a good review.   We then had a very decadent tea of roast duck.

Silly Tom!

So Tom came home with a soft toy bear from school on Friday called 'Helpful Harry'.  Matt asked Miss Swindlehurst why.  Her response: "Tom hasn't been making the right choices for the last couple of weeks, but has shown improvement this week"!  Hummm, on further questioning, Matt found out that he had been running into the classroom and sliding on his knees - his behaviour was described as 'silly'.

I was quite pleased really - shows that he can rebel against the rules and isn't squeaky clean.  Although I can't really admit that to him.  We will see if we find out more at parent's evening.