September to December: a bit busy

So, we have lost September to December when it comes to the blog!  What with Tom back at school, and all his after school clubs, work starting up again and Bob to look after, it got a bit busy and the blog was the last thing on my mind.  We didn't really do that much as we couldn't leave Bob on his own for too long, so there wasn't really that much to write about.  Tom had a trial for the under 15s District cricket team and to his and Matt's surprise got in (the others according to Matt all looked huge compared to Tom!)  So, that means training in Sedbergh every Tuesday night - 8.00 to 9.30 - pretty late for our Tom who likes his bed!)

In October we went to Blackburn to see The Proclaimers which was good - they can certainly belt out the tunes, not much engagement with the audience though.  

I had my usual run around trying to find Christmas marshmallows - found them in the end in B&M in Blackburn and bought as many as I could.  They came out mid October, were exclusive to B&M this year. I bought 150 snowmen, 50 penguins and 40 rudolphs and ran out of snowmen quickly as Di Handly ordered 50 in mid November!  We tried everywhere to buy more and failed, so next year buy 200 snowmen as soon as they come out.

For October half term we met up (finally) with Mum and Dad at a cottage near Nantwich.  Even that was disjointed as Tom and I went down on the Friday, then I left him there on Sunday, came back to help look after Bob and then on the Tuesday Bob moved back to his house and Matt and I went down to Nantwich for the rest of the week.  

Also Mum wasn't in a good way - she was having chemo cream on some skin cancer on her face and was right at the end of her treatment and not doing well - she didn't really move for the first 2 days, but got better as the week went on.  We all managed to go out for dinner out on the last night - which was good.  Maybe next time we will do better.  It was a case of really bad timing, but if we didn't meet up then, it would have been over a year since we saw each other!

October to December was then the big grind of Christmas orders: marketing everywhere I could think of and then fulfilling orders.  I did an Open House: invited friends for mulled wine and cakes on the Friday night and opened up to the village on Saturday morning (11th/12th November)  Then I went to Cross Leigh Stores for a market.  Note to self: DO NOT DO A CHRISTMAS MARKET - people don't buy my goodies, mainly because there is food and drink at the market run by the organisers and people are loyal to them rather than buying from me.  I made £12. What a waste of time.  This is why I do an open house - much more lucrative!  I got lots of early orders this time, I also got quite a few cakes, so a lot of juggling.  I need to work out whether  it is better to say no to all cakes and just concentrate on chocolates?  I had to put out of stock on my website pretty early, plus the school broke up really early this year (16th December) which didn't help, along with Royal Mail postal strikes, I basically had to stop taking orders from the 12th December.

Tom had 2 really horrible colds - one in the first half term and one in the second half term - both lasting about 3 weeks.  They were evil and completely drained him.  Somehow Matt and I didn't catch them which was good - although both of us were getting headaches and rumbling sore throats so I guess it was in our system!

Tom has also had his 4 immunotherapy injections at Manchester Children's Hospital - fingers crossed they work for him in the summer.

Bob has been getting better and better, going back to his house gave him a new lease of life, and within days he was able to walk (he was still hopping at ours), he was out on the mobility scooter and getting stronger and stronger.  We found him a home help so we were able to relax knowing someone was visiting every day and doing any awkward jobs for him.  He even held a Christmas party for his friends which was fab. 

Tom has had to choose his options.  We went to the Options evening at school - first time we have been invited to the school as parents.  It was wholly confusing - came out completely confused as did every other parent we asked.  QES is an Academy of two schools: the main school and the studio - the Studio does practical courses such as engineering, art, DT, performing arts, PE, land management etc etc, but we came out not knowing what sort of qualifications you get, if they are recognised by HE/FE establishments, if you take one of these 'pathways' it takes up the time of 2 GCSEs but does the qualification equal 2xGCSEs?  We managed to talk to a teacher afterwards to get some questions answered (she told us that the Land Management doesn't lead to any qualification - surely that is something we need to know?!)  Also afterwards, we found out that if you want to take a science at A Level, you have to take all 3 separate sciences at GCSE.  Another thing they failed to tell us!  I tell you that school is just rubbish at conveying information to parents!

Talking to Tom, he was absolutely adamant that he didn't want to do any studio school courses as 'all the idiots are going to studio school".  There is a good engineering course in the studio school where you have to be top stream science and maths to qualify, but he still refused, nothing I said would change his mind.  So his choices:

1) Separate science, 2) French, 3) Modern History, 4) iMedia 5) PE (GCSE version not the studio version)

I'm sad that he has dropped geography, but was very careful not to influence him too much.  Modern History is a bit of an anomaly, apparently all history courses have to include a medieval element - so he has to do 1066 and medieval medicine, but the rest is 1900+.

He also has his first school trip coming up...to France!  They go to the D-Day beaches, Paris and Parc Asterix.  5 days, £800!!!!!!  It isn't until July - but at last a trip!!!!!!!!!

Oh and Tom has a girlfriend - Georgie (one of Evie's friends from Caton)!  We haven't met her yet, but they are texting each other all the time (all quite benign and quite sweet).

Lastly, I have managed to loose 2.5 stones.  I have slowed up recently due to circumstances, but plan to get down to 10.5 stone in January - just half a stone to go (assuming I don't put on for Christmas / New Year!)

First Week Back

The first week back has been a bit of a whirlwind.  Getting Tom ready to go to school, sorting out Bob and getting work done as well.  It all got done, just have had to get used to a new routine and working out the best way to do things.

We got back on Friday evening, Jon Radda picked us up and dropped us off at home.  We then made various phone calls to Jude and Bob to find out what had happened.  Bob was still in hospital, and quite immobile as his leg is in a cast and he was finding it hard work to get around with a walker and impossible with crutches.  He was also very short of sleep and in pain.  After a restless night worrying about him, I said to Matt that the only solution was to have Bob here.  If he was to be here we don't need to worry about him at home, we can stay as a family and he can be looked after, have company and not worry about all the humdrum of running a home.  Matt agreed, offered our home to Bob, who then said the hospital were happy to let him out to come to live with us.  So, Matt went to collect him, whilst Tom and I changed the guest room round to give him as much space as possible.

It was a bit of a trauma to get Bob into the house, no matter which way you enter the house there are steps to negotiate, the only way Bob can do steps is on his bum and as it was his first time and Matt and I had no idea what to do, it was a bit of a fumble, but we got him in.  Poor Bob was very sleepy, couldn't eat much, and really just a sorry sight.  He asked to go to bed at 8pm, once again it took quite a while to get him up the stairs, but we got there and he went to bed fully dressed - too exhausted to change!

Sunday Matt and Tom went to play cricket for the afternoon - so it was just me and Bob.  Bob spent most of the afternoon snoozing, I spent the afternoon making sweet peas for a wedding cake going out on Friday.

Monday - Tom's last day of holiday.  We still haven't been able to get him any new PE uniform.  We discovered on Sports Day last term when kids went to school in their PE uniform that his was all too small - he looked like a 1980s football player!  I was hoping to get second hand, but had failed in my quest, so reluctantly took Tom to Preston to get some.  Always a pain going to Preston - I don't like the place and find the roads extremely confusing.  I know where the main car park is, but find it so difficult to get to.  Had the same problem again this time, the centre of Preston was dug up and the sat nav tried to take me down a bus lane!  We then followed signs to a car park for it to be permit holders only.  I then stopped a postie for advice - we could see the car park, but he said that I would have to go right round the centre to get to it.  Oh joy - I drove in a random direction hoping I would find some sort of car park, it worked, we found a multi-storey and it wasn't that far from the high street - a normal stressy beginning to shopping in Preston.

We got to Monkhouse and I bought the biggest PE uniform I could get away with.  Then we headed to M&S to get some underwear for all 3 men, as we were looking it up, Tom noticed that there was a Mowgli next door - oooooooh!  We do love Mowgli.  Preston suddenly looked better...we went to Mowgli, got in and ordered yoghurt bombs, sticky wings and fenugreek chips - we were in heaven.  The conundrum now was - do we tell Matt or not?  We knew he would be upset to find out we had been without him, but we didn't know it was there...  No matter it was a perfect end of holiday treat for Tom.

We bought the underwear and then I decided to check out a shopping centre we hadn't been to before...inside was a Kawaii shop - called Kenji - full of Japanese cutie products - wowzers, Preston is even better.  I got myself a froggy tape measure for my cakes.  Perfect.

We came home, confessed to Matt about the Mowgli trip - seems he is keen to join us on school uniform shopping trips now!