October

 

The first weekend in October started badly with it being cold and rainy.  During lockdown we started a lego project - remaking all the lego sets that Tom has received over the years.  We were very close to finishing, so we decided to get it all out and finish it off. 

It took the whole day but we got there.  We then got all the lego models out from the various places we have been squirrelling them away to and took some pics.  Didn't look much - but it has taken us hours and hours.  A great way to waste many hours.  Tom is pleased because he prefers making his own fantasy models rather than the kits so he didn't take much time to destroy them and start building his own models again.

The Sunday was a much nicer day and we arranged to meet up with the Raddas again for a walk down at Jenny Brown's Point.  Somewhere we haven't been to before.  It is on Morecambe Bay - and was a lovely walk.  Great views, lovely weather, good company.  We had some coastal walk, forest walk, not much uphill (always good).  We got caught in a freak shower storm, but enjoyed the rainbow it caused.  Anyway another good walk.

So, I thought the blog had stopped working, but it turns out a setting had changed itself.  Matt managed to find it and changed it back, and suddenly everything clicked back in to place.  Phew!  However, the page seems determined to keep changing the setting, so we will see how long we are able to keep going...

Now, of course  I need to catch up on previous weeks, looks like we got up to the end of September, so here is my blog for October:

The second weekend in October we decided to have some proper exercise.  We packed the bikes on the back of the car and drove over to Keld where we cycled the new Swale Trail bike track from Keld to Gunnerside.  We weren't sure what to expect - wowzers it was hard work!  The beginning of the trail was steep, bendy and gravely.  I took my bike for a walk - there was no way I would be able to cycle up it.  The boys, of course were fine, but even Tom was stopping and starting.  I have been putting the idea of an e-bike to the boys if they want me to keep up with them - this was proof that I need one! Eventually we got to a bit where it levelled out a bit and I was able to get on and cycle.  

A video of the ride is here: https://youtu.be/vT1FtblgAsE

It was a beautiful ride, in Swaledale which is one of the most beautiful and unspoilt of the dales.  The river Swale at the bottom of the dale, green fields around, dry stone walls and lots of stone barns.  We had a picnic at the top of a hill taking in the scenery and then carried on to Gunnerside - bombing down a tarmac road at the end which was fun.  At Gunnerside we found a pub with a garden, so we took a table and had a drink each before heading back the same way.  I was proud of myself at the start as it was a steady hill out of Gunnerside to the top of the track and I managed most of it without walking.  We carried on back to our picnic spot, by which time I was spent and we had the worse of the gravelly uphill track to go, so I took my bike for a walk and then free wheeled down the other side.

It was a grand track, apparently the other half of it (Gunnerside to Reeth) is a little easier so we might try that out.  I need to get a bit fitter I think!  (I blame Cornvale and all the lovely meat they deliver to us for making me fatter!)

Last weekend we went for a greasy spoon lunch at Hellifield Station and then a short walk around Hellifield to see the Highland Coos.  It wasn't a particularly long or hard walk, but interesting - we found a rather lovely looking holiday let - saw plenty of highlanders and the odd train.  

Blog isn't working

Hi all, I haven't written much recently and as you can see blog posts have recently become scruffy. Not sure what has happened but I seem unable to put photos in, or any sort of formatting - can't even put a return into a document. This might be the end of the blog I'm afraid. I have looked on the internet to try to work out what has happened but with no luck. I am actually getting quite upset about it all as this site documents the first 11 years of Tom's life and although it was a pain to write sometimes, it is great to look back on. I can't believe this is the end, but I think it is. I just hope the site doesn't suddenly disappear!

In the meantime, here's a last photo of Tom taken today in the sunshine. He's having to self isolate because of a classmate having tested positive for corona, so all our planned half term activities are cancelled and we have ordered in a box set of Roger Moore James Bond films which he seems to be in to at the moment. We will fill the days with watching those, cooking (there is a Christmas cake to bake and some apple chutney to make with some apples we got given) and domino runs - yes he is still into domino runs in a big way, they get bigger and more complicated every day.

Update

I was feeling better by Saturday. It was a nice day, so Matt suggested a walk over in Crummack Dale to explore the bits we found last time. I was a little worried as the walk was around 7 miles - but I was pleasantly surprised at how I was able to deal with the exercise and the walk itself. It was so peaceful, scenic, unspoilt that it lifted the soul and I felt even better after it. When we got back, Tom had to do homework - my my he is getting a lot of homework already - with a good 7-10 pieces a week. I'm not sure I had that amount to start with?! 

Sunday - we met up with Katie and co at Hest Bank and we showed them the short walk between The Shore Cafe and Archers Cafe. It was a gloriously lovely day. Bright blue skies, and hot. We were all wearing the wrong clothes. Had a ice cream at Archers and walked back again. It wasn’t a long session, but we were all happy to be out in the sunshine and socialising - how much longer will we be able to do this? Covid is coming….this week Year 10 was sent home. One of Tom’s form, Isaac's brother has picked up the virus - they live in Ingleton, 3 boys and Mum alone. They are isolating at home. I went and left them a care package. Can’t be fun stuck in a house together for so long. On Saturday Tom and Matt went on a Diesel and Ale Day on the Keighly and Worth Valley Railway. They had a good day, whilst I stayed at home and cleaned the house. We all seem to be sneezing and coughing a lot so I thought a thorough clean of the house would be a good idea (it hasn’t made any difference to the sneezes and coughs but the house is nicer as a result). 

On Sunday we drove to Hornby and did a walk alongside the river Lune. All very lovely except we encountered a field full of huge cows and ended up leg it over a fence and walk alongside a steep embankment to avoid them.

 

Quiet week whilst we suffer / recover from colds

We decided to have a quiet weekend, Tom was still recovering from his cold and I wasn't feeling 100%.  It was the last day of the Staycation Express so Matt and Tom headed to Blea Moor to see it, whilst I stayed at home.  Sunday saw us staying at home (Tom had homework to do) and we had a full roast dinner with Tom's yorkshires for tea - to try to make us all feel better.  

Monday - I had Tom's cold!  I was streaming, full of snot and feeling quite sorry for myself.  Typical that I had a cake going out on Tuesday.  It took me an age to do it, luckily I had all day and had done most of the  decorations.  This was not good.  I had other orders for the weekend too oh hum, I would have to struggle on.  The week was mainly spent having hot baths, blowing my nose, washing my hands hundreds of times and doing things slowly.  It was a horrible cold!

Wednesday Tom was supposed to be taking part in the selection process for South Lakes District Cricket team, we told them he had a cold, they told us not to go, just to be on the safe side.  He would get the opportunity again once they start training. 

Thursday - Tom came home from school with a French Certificate for good participation during class.  Only 2 pupils got one, so he was very pleased with himself, as was Grannie!

Snaizeholme and sneezes

Saturday we weren't sure what to do.  We didn't want to do anything too strenuous as we knew Tom would be tired from school and had a full week stretching ahead of him.  I suddenly had the idea to go to Snaizeholme to visit the red squirrels.  We weren't disappointed.  We saw loads, in fact I think we spent over an hour down by the holiday let just watching them scampering from place to place, red squirrels never sit still making photography so difficult, but it was fun trying to get some good shots / video and certainly a pleasure just to sit back and watch them busy around us.  A good visit. 

We then decided to go to Hawes as we were so close for lunch.  We headed to the creamery, there was a queue, but when we agreed to eat outside we got served pretty quickly, and it wasn't too cold.  We then went for a walk around the town.  I decided to hunt out the Chapel Gallery who got in touch with me prior to Covid about stocking my chocolates.  I found it, had a look around (all decent stuff) and spoke with the owner who was still keen for me to work with her, so I left it that I would build up some stock and then get back in touch.  Should have asked about who her 'average' customer is to get an idea of what to make - oh hum, I'll get some stock together and then see what she says.

Sunday we had a morning of cricket training.  It was a beautiful morning, so all the parents were out sunning themselves.  The kids were amusing themselves nicely and we were chatting.  Then Tom announced he had a sore throat - but he hadn't drunk anything after charging around all morning, so we put it down as being a dry throat.  It didn't go away though...

Monday morning and Tom woke up in a complete state!  He was streaming and clearly not at all well.  He was also crying.  Crying because he felt unwell and crying because he didn't want to miss school and crying because he knew he couldn't go to school.  There was no way we could send him in, so we wiped up his tears and sent him back to bed.  We had a quiet day, watched a film on the sofa, lots of cuddles, and he got brighter as the day went on.  We, of course were then in a position of what do we do about school.  I had taken Tom's temperature throughout the day - it was normal.  He didn't have a cough and could taste things, so none of the classic symptoms of Covid.  Matt phoned the school and they said if it is a snotty cold, that is fine, send him back when well enough.  I made Tom a chicken curry for tea which cheered him up further.  He was in bed around 7pm.

Tom came bouncing into our bedroom at 7am this morning.  He was well enough to go to school and very much wanted to go.  We figured if he was happy enough to go to let him.  We checked his temperature - normal, so he got dressed, had breakfast and went along to the bus stop.  Different today as the whole school were at school today for the first time.  I had some cakes to do to keep me busy, but I was still a bit emotional.  My problem is that I didn't enjoy Secondary school so am worried / scared for him, but of course he isn't me, he is himself.  Also, schools have changed a lot in 30 years, so my concerns probably aren't all that relevant anymore.  Doesn't stop me from worrying though!  Tom came bouncing in at 3.15, he had had a good day (had snotted his way through 2 packs of tissues) but apart from that he had a good day and had actually been to a lesson.

As the week went on, he settled in fine.  He has already made new friends, and talks lots about Isaac and Jack so that meeting with them put him in good stead.  He doesn't talk about any of the Ingleton boys, just the Ingleton girls and other boys in his class, this is a good sign.   He is spreading his wings, we hope it continues.  

Oh and we found a solution to the lunchtime problem.  Someone suggested getting a wide necked flask so he could take hot food with him.  Genius.  Matt got on to Amazon, bought one in.  I made a huge caldron of curry.  We gave him curry and rice for lunch, with a whole load of snacks for break time.  Bingo, he came home very happy with not a crumb left.  He was very happy.  That is what I need to do now, make huge caldrons of stews etc and then freeze lunchtime portions for him to take to school.  Phew!

A High School Student!

Friday...a big day in the Young household...Tom's first day at QES!  Obviously it has all been a bit strange this year, normally Y6 get visited by teachers at their primary school to talk about what will happen and to get the chance to say who they want to be in their form with.  That didn't happen.  They also would normally have an evening and a day at school in the summer term so they could get familiar with the layout, where their form room would be and meet their form tutor.  That didn't happen.  We didn't get any communication about Tom joining the school until the penultimate day of the summer term (I was quite unimpressed - at that point we didn't even know what day they would start, whether they would need uniform etc etc and I was beginning to feel a bit lost by the whole thing!)  So the children had to enter a huge school not knowing where their form room was - the school had to station teachers all around the school on day one so that they could direct lost looking children to the right area.  It wasn't so bad for Tom as he arrived by school coach and a teacher climbed on board and directed them.

So, we got up at 7am...yes 7AM - didn't know there was such a time!  Tom got changed into his school uniform - tying his tie properly (we gave him lessons earlier in the week), had breakfast.  Then a packed lunch (the school are providing lunches but it is literally a choice of 3 sandwiches / salads for £3.50 a pop - figured it was cheaper and better to do our own, especially as Tom doesn't really like sandwiches).  I made him a tuna pasta salad, whilst he chopped up some cucumber, peppers, got a packet of crisps, babybel, grapes, brunch bar etc, he then packed his bag, complete with hand sanitiser, made sure he had his mask (they have to wear them on the coach and in corridors etc at school) and we waved him off to the bus stop (Community Centre) at 8am ready for his bus at 8.12.  We weren't allowed to go with him.  Liz Holman appeared at ours at 8 too, she had sent Annabel off, but wanted to check she was ok so came to ours to watch the coach go past.  It went past, we couldn't see in (it has tinted windows - another Bibby's service) no children came running after it - so we guessed he got it ok.  (Turns out there were only the 4 of them on it for the whole journey: Annabel, Kiera, Tom and Caitlin)

I had an unsettled day.  Tom was absolutely fine about heading off on his own to the new big school, whilst I was all unsure about the whole thing.  I had so many emotions running through my head, I really didn't know what to do with myself!  Mainly I didn't do that much and sort of floated around the house for the day.  He returned home around 3.15 (3.15?! part-timer!) he was a little tired, meaning he couldn't really tell us much about his day.   He hadn't met his form tutor because she has Fridays off!  I wasn't impressed.  So they didn't get transition and then the one day which is reserved for them to get to know their tutor, she isn't there.  He took in his holiday homework and the form tutor he got didn't know anything about it?!  He seemed ok about the day though. They had an assembly, went on a walking tour of the school most of which he won't be allowed in.  The children have been bubbled into their year groups, meaning they don't get to meet or see anyone else at the school - only their year.  Also they have been sectioned off an area of the school and are only allowed in that area.  There are 256 pupils in his year so plenty of people to meet and luckily there are some science labs in his area meaning that they 'might' be able to do some experiments.  Problem is that teachers aren't allowed within 2 meters of students, which sort of makes it hard to monitor / help them in lessons. 

Tom came back home with a significant amount of his lunch!  They only get 30 minutes for lunch (time has been shaved off lunchtime and they don't have registration in the afternoon to free up time to load the coaches at the end of the day which now takes an age as it all has to be done in age order (each year bubble has to sit in allocated spaces so they don't mix, meaning they have to get on the coach in a certain order which takes time).  This means that whatever Tom has for lunch he has to like so he eats it quickly.  I'm not sure what the answer is as Tom doesn't really like traditional packed lunch fair and when at school he really needs a hot lunch, which is not on offer at the moment.  I wasn't happy with him, he was a little tired and grumpy when he came home and I'm sure that is because he didn't have enough to eat.

Anyway, back to business, Tom had his last cricket match for Ingleton today - a rearranged match against Sedgwick.  Ingleton won easily, everyone hitting boundaries and getting wickets.  Was a great end to the season.