Winter weekends

Jack, Sierra and Tom

Saturday and we were back to routine.  Up early for football training (all other schools round here had already been back for a week).  It was a grey day and as we have had a busy half term we decided to take it easy.  We loaded up the car with stuff for the tip and then headed to Settle to dispose of it.  Next stop was Lay of the Land where we had a very lovely lunch (baked eggs with chorizo for me, fish and chips for the boy and a bacon sarnie for the big boy)  2 separate sets of customers asked me what mine was as it looked so good - it was too!

We then bought some winter flowers for our hanging baskets (only just realised that winter hanging baskets were a thing!)  I did a quick circuit of Booths whilst the boys went to the train station to watch a special diesel go through the station.  We then met up at Pat and Bob's to pick up our bounty from Unilever.  Next stop was Escape bike shop for a special nut and for Matt to get bike envy and lastly Country Harvest to buy some bread flour (they have stopped doing onion bread flour which is a disaster!!!!!)  Then back home, for tea and bed.

Muddy kids

Sunday: Tom had been asking us to do a long bike ride for ages.  We finally had a day when it was dry and we were free.  The Mannings were also up for it, so we headed out and drove to Bull Beck.  Steph and John hadn't been to Glasson Dock so we did that route.  We didn't realise at the time that it was the Lancaster half marathon and they were using the bike routes, so we had to share the same path for a bit and had to stop and start quite a bit to let the runners through.  Saw a couple of people we knew doing it - so shouted encouragement to them all.

We motored on through the city and out the other side (Lancaster is a very small city) into the salt marsh and along to Glasson Dock.  It didn't take all that long, the kids were on good form, especially Jack who is only 6 - he's a machine, once he starts going, he doesn't stop!

Eye on the ball as always

We arrived at the Cafe d'Lune just as the kids were getting hungry and ordered our lunches.  Then into Glasson Dock and out and back again through the city (the half marathon was over) and back to Bull Beck.  The bike ride was 20 miles overall and took us 4 hours including stops.  As I said young Jack blew us all away with his stamina.  Tom lead us all the way there and back.  John was suffering from gout so was behind and everyone else in-between.  It was a good day out.






Thursday - Sam came round to babysit, whilst Matt and I went out to watch Bohemian Rhapsody in Kendal.  Was good fun, not completely accurate, but the actors playing Freddie and Brian looked and sounded exactly like their name sakes.  I very much enjoyed it.

Ingleton Viaduct

Friday Tom had cricket at QES in the evening - they are doing one session a month so the kids keep their eye in.  It was really good, loads turned up (in the past it has just been Tom and Emma and maybe Luca), lots of enthusiasm and a good fun match at the end.

Saturday we were back to football training again.  There should have been a tournament in Grassington, but it was cancelled on Friday due to a waterlogged pitch.  As it was another grey day, we headed to Staveley to Hawkshead Brewery for lunch.  Tom had a very rich macaroni cheese which he couldn't finish, I had broccoli and Stilton soup which was overloaded with cream and Matt had loaded chips.  It was good, but we all suffered from dairy overload for the rest of the day and didn't really get that much more done.  We went to Windermere for a look around Lakeland, but we didn't find anything and left empty handed.

Bowland from Twistleton

Sunday was Remembrance Day - I got the iron out and ironed Tom's Cub's jumper and necker, whilst Tom cleaned and polished his shoes.  We got to the church at 10, when Tom was shown what to do - he was carrying the Cub's flag.  We sang a few hymns, listened to the preacher, ignored most of what we were supposed to chant etc.  The kids were all great.  We then all went outside, listened to the list of names of the fallen and then observed 2 minutes silence all in the pouring rain.  The kids got soaked, but once again, all the children were brilliant - even the Beavers who are very young at 6 and 7.  We went back to church, sang a bit more, listened to more sermons etc.  Tom received his flag back and walked back through the church and that was that.

Here's a video of Tom carrying the Cubs flag: https://youtu.be/Zfz91SaAz4Y

Autumn leaves in Ingleton

We then went to Inglesport with the Mannings (Sierra is also a cub) to warm up and have lunch.  We had decided to do the Waterfalls walk in the afternoon, we asked the Mannings if they wanted to come, but Sierra wanted to bake.  The kids were given a choice of waterfalls walk or baking - they went for baking, so Matt and I did the waterfalls walk alone.  It was a good day for it - the sun was low in the sky, meaning that Matt got some great photos.

We headed to the Mannings afterwards, to eat freshly baked cake and pick up Tom, then back home for lamb henry and bed.