Trains and bikes

Where to stash naughty boys

We've had an unseasonal 3-day weekend as I decided to take Friday off so that we could all go and play trains on the Severn Valley Railway without the weekend hordes in attendance - a good decision as it turned out. The SVR had its annual diesel gala and ran a huge number of trains on the day (9.00am until after 11.00pm), and we counted at least 13 preserved diesel locomotives in use, some of which were in amazing condition given their age. A huge green engine called "Atlantic Conveyor" won our prize for being "Wow Train" of the day. There wasn't a speck of dust on it, inside and out - a real credit to whoever looks after it. We kept remarking that Tom's grandfathers would probably have enjoyed the day too.

"Western Courier"

Tom kept going very well all day -  the only slight panic coming when the (extremely loud) exhaust note of "Western Courier" (big maroon engine in photo) spooked him. Otherwise, he spent most of the day pointing shouting "train", "coach" or "truck" as appropriate. It was also quite a good exercise in getting him to learn his colours as the engines and coaches came in a real variety of shades. We had regular trips to the buffet to keep ourselves fed and watered (it's hard work, this playing on trains). As is often the case on days like this, he was asleep within a minute of getting in the car to come home. Not much doubt about what he was dreaming about on Friday night.

"Defiance"

Given what an exciting time we all had on Friday (especially Nik, who went out drinking with pals in Ironbridge in the evening) and the fact that the weather forecast had (correctly) predicted a nasty day, we decided to have a quiet Saturday. We headed into Wellington so that Nik could stock up with cake ribbons at the market. We made a fundamental error by walking through Wellington station and not hanging around long enough to see a train - cue grumpiness, crying and a refusal to walk from you-know-who. We eventually convinced him to be a bit less petulant, ran various errands, had an early lunch in the pub and drove home via Wylie & Holland, my local motorbike dealer. It's normally a bustling, lively place full of bikes of every kind, but the showroom looked terribly bare and lifeless this time. Perhaps the recession has hit them. If so, I hope they manage to weather the storm - I've always had excellent service there and I do like drooling over all the new Triumphs in there. Nik was out babysitting Mae (Tom's girlfriend) in the evening, so I had a quiet evening in - sadly, not even an old cat for company these days.

Today looked like being a nicer day, so we decided to get some fresh air at Attingham Park - our nearest NT property. There's a good playground that Tom always enjoys charging round and we thought it was high time he got to grips with his Triumph Daytona balance bike that we got him last Christmas. Up to now, he's been a bit scared of it as it (obviously) falls over when he lets go of the handlebars. So, we allowed him to get his courage up in the playground, which he did to excess as you can see from the video - I've never seen him so dizzy. We must have been in there for almost an hour, but it worked, because as we took a stroll through the woodland walk, he finally realised that riding a bike is great fun. We still had to hold the back of the bike, but he did all the steering himself and kept going for long stretches - maybe 100 yards at a time - grinning from ear to ear. So, a great success all in all. We now need to take the bike with us when we go out, as frequent practice should cement his new-found ability and enthusiasm.
We had a quick lunch at Sam's Cafe at Long Lane, our greasy spoon of choice. Tom demolished a sausage sandwich (smothered in ketchup), but Nik and I held back as we're going out for dinner at the excellent Miller & Carter in Wolverhampton tonight - I recently hit another work-related milestone, so this is our treat for reaching it.

Weekend away

Wow!  What beautiful weather we have enjoyed this week - in the high 20s, deep blue sky and sunshine

The Manor House, Eardisland

On Friday we headed down to the very picturesque village Eardisland in Herefordshire to meet up with the Chester Shell crew who we enjoyed a nice weekend with last year (we seem to have been accepted into the crowd).  Sara had found a gorgeous black and white manor house in the centre of the village for us to lodge in.  12 bedrooms, huge gardens, hot tub and very comfortable.  We made ourselves at home, met Jessica (Sara's new baby - who is 9 months old), very cute.  Before too long Maggie, Tamsin and Jenny turned up with Lisa.  We thought that Tom and Tamsin would want to play with each other again (as it was only 3 weeks ago they last saw each other), but Tom was too shy and Tamsin too full of energy.  Nevermind, we found Tom some curry and gave him dinner which he gulped down.

He ran around the house enough to accept going to bed without any trouble (phew) so we had a good relaxing evening eating curry with the 20 others in the party.

Saturday we went to the local National Trust property, Berrington Hall, it was ridiculously hot!  Had to put suncream and sun hats on.  We had a little look round the property and a picnic with the others under a tree, but then decided to go back to the house - Tom didn't sleep very well on Friday night (he was in the same room as us) and was grumpy.  So, we put him down for a nap and then went for a dip in the hot tub (which would have been relaxing if we hadn't had to share it with 3 excited little girls)  Oh well, they seemed to enjoy it.

We lazed around in the afternoon playing in the garden (there was a trampoline in the garden which Tom enjoyed playing on as long as no-one else was on it and he wasn't made to jump on it!)  The men then set the bbqs alight whilst we did bath and bedtime with Tom.  By the time we came down, food was ready which was fab.  We then had a relaxing evening before retiring to our wonderfully comfortable beds.

Sunday we had a lazy morning including two dips with Tom in the hot tub which he loved before heading back.

Nik & Tom by the River Arrow

We didn't really do that much this weekend, but it was nice to be somewhere different with nice people and very good for Tom to be surrounded by so many people - as is usual, he just began to relax with everyone as we left on Sunday.  He did do quite well though during the weekend, I on purpose took a back step and tried to back out of playing with him to try to get him to play either with himself or the other children - there were plenty of them and they were all willing to play with him, but a little too rough for his liking.  Maybe next year he will be big enough and confident enough to play with them.


Oh today he showed signs of wanting to brush his teeth rather than just chewing his toothbrush:0)

Shoes

Today, Tom managed to put his sandals on more or less by himself, just needed a little direction and encouragement, he was a very pleased boy once he had done it! :0)

A week in Devon

Sorry, getting behind - but I had to do 5 cakes in 3 days last week which is why.

So, we went down to Devon for a long weekend so Tom could visit / tire out his grandparents.  He was an absolute star in the car, we stopped once to change drivers, he didn't complain once - the first time ever.

Having a giggle in Crapstone

He was very excited to see Granma and Pop Pop and it didn't take too long for him to start saying 'Nam-ma' for Mum which was great.  On Thursday Tom decided to take Pop Pop and Nam-ma on the South Devon Railway (Buckfastleigh to Totnes).  He was excited as usual - especially as the steam train pulling the coaches was a 'Duck'.  We took a ride down the line and back again, had lunch and then did it again.  Unfortunately we were too far out of season to experience the double decker bus and miniature railway - so we will have to go again in season to try them out.  Anyway, we all had a good time (especially Tom, who discovered various different train toys dotted around the site to amuse him - in the restaurant and the museum (we discovered that you can't interrupt his play for savoury lunch, but you can for CAKE!))

We all got tired out, so Tom and Nam-ma fell asleep on the way back.  Tom went mad on his return to Crapstone, Nam-ma, didn't!

On Friday, Nam-ma and Pop Pop took Tom out for the morning to an adventure park in Plymouth whilst Matt and I had a morning together - trying to sort out the car bump (no luck) and then a quick trip in to Tavistock to try out the pasty shop again (service only slightly better than last time, so still mediocre!)

We then spent the afternoon out in the garden enjoying the sun.

Saturday Matt and I decided to give Mum and Dad a break from Grandparent duties and took Tom into Plymouth.  We popped into a travel agent to pick up some brochures for our holiday in October, and then walked to The Barbican to get the boat round to the old naval base and the rather lovely coffee shop there.  We had the boat to ourselves (a bright red landing craft type vessel)  Tom wasn't 100% sure, but enjoyed himself enough.  We had a good lunch (breakfast bun for Matt and tapas for me with Tom eating a fair share as tends to be the norm these days) before getting the boat back and then the double decker bus back to the park and ride.  A non train day, but still quite exciting for a little boy.

Nik & Tom at Totnes Station

Sunday it was gloomy and overcast so we decided to stay close to home and went to Buckland Abbey for the morning.  Tom seemed to enjoy himself, in the garden and then upstairs in the abbey where there were dressing up clothes, including some Tom's size.  He hated us putting the clothes on him, but once they were on he went loopy and ran round and round giggling.  We then decided to go back to The Dartmoor Diner for lunch (as it has a toy train going round the wall) but it was fully booked so we ended up at The Rock instead, had a good lunch, but the lack of a train could not be made up.

All too quickly it was Monday morning again and time to go home.  We went back home via Sheppy's (got our last ever cases of Tremlett's Bitter as they are discontinuing it :0( ) and Bristol for lunch where he was an absolute angel.  He said he didn't want to sit in a high chair, but on a big boy chair.  We made it very clear that if he got off the big boy chair then he would go in the high chair, he still fidgeted, but he didn't try to get off it.  He also pointed to some pasta on the menu, so I got some for my lunch and he ate at least 50% - so a very well behaved boy.  He then played in the fountain in the middle of the shopping mall before we made our way home.

A nice break.

I can count to 6

Tom's speech has come on a lot in the past few weeks, and we thought you'd like to see this example.
He also managed his first wee in the toilet yesterday, so things are really moving forward.

Bye Bye Jodie

Not a great week for us - they say things happen in threes.  On Sunday / Monday - someone bashed one of our car doors, then the dish washer packed in and then on Monday we had to take Jodie to see the vet for the last time.  Let's hope our luck picks up!

So, back to the weekend, on Saturday we went to Chester to visit the Watsons.  They have 3 girls: Maggie - 7, Tamsin - 5 and Jenny - 21 months.  Tamsin seems to really like Tom, and before too long the two of them were playing as if they were best buddies (Tom took his snake with him, which became a great game - Tamsin holding the front and running, tugging Tom behind her who was holding on to the tail).  This meant that I got the afternoon off, so enjoyed putting my feet up on the sofa and watching them play. They played long and hard, meaning that at bed time, Tom went to sleep easily (after a talking to by his Dad) and we could relax (although poor Cameron was suffering quite badly from jetlag)

Oh - on the way up to Chester, I heard a little voice say 'Baa baa black sheep'.  Typical, every night for months I have sung Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Wind the Bobbin Up and The Wheels on the Bus and he comes up with Baa Baa Black Sheep.  Oh well, never mind, it is progress.  Oh and we now have some colours: black, white, yellow, blue and purple.  No red and green yet - but we are working on them.

Jodie has been going down hill for a number of weeks now.  The last week she refused to eat (apart from some duck giblets) and her back legs were getting weaker and weaker.  When we came back from Chester, she could hardly get up and down the stairs and was walking sideways.  Her time had come.  We knew it and she knew it.  We tried to make her last night as comfortable as possible and spent some quality time with her in order to say our goodbyes, including Tom, he spent some nice time with her, stroking her and being gentle with her which was lovely.

On Monday morning, Matt made the dreaded phone call and we all walked over to the vets.  We were all with her when she passed away - she didn't fight at all - the only time in her life when she hasn't shown any malice to the vet - another sure sign she was ready to go.  We left her behind on the table and walked home.  Tom wasn't happy with us - pointing to the vets and shouting 'cat' which was very hard to deal with. 

The house isn't the same without her, we keep looking round to see where she is so we don't trip over her, picking things up so she won't soil them, thinking we are hearing her.  It is very strange and a little eerie.  She was almost 21 so had a good innings, a wonderful friend and pseudo mum to Tom - she was as gentle as anything to him, allowed him to thump her when he was a baby and never retaliated - we think he prolonged her life - she certainly showed more interest in life once he arrived.  Not much of a hunter - think she caught a dead leaf once, a bit cheeky (she climbed into my parents car the first time she met them - much to my mum's surprise) and a good lap cat and purrer.  We will remember her fondly.

As luck would have it, I had arranged to meet up with a friend from twitter on Monday afternoon, so rather than moping around the house, we went to Burntwood to meet up with her.  I call her Kathryn Biker Cake - she has a motorbike and runs her own home based cake business so we have a lot in common.  As it turns out, she is also a really good talker and very welcoming.  She has a 9 year old boy, so got a box of cars for Tom to play with - which he did and we talked and talked and talked.  We then went to a local pub and talked and talked and talked, went back to her place and talked and talked and talked.  We talked until she had to collect her kids and we went home.  Tom was such an angel, hardly needed any interaction - just played by himself the whole day, couldn't have asked for better behavior.

Trains, trains, trains

Blackberry face

Before I start this weekend's entry - here's a photo of Tom from the week - we went blackberrying.  I was hoping to get a good stash to put in the freezer, but Tom decided that he wanted to eat every single one he could get his hands on, and if he couldn't get any he would muscle his way into my bag and eat what I had picked!  He must have eaten a good 1/2 lb of them - as you can see from his face, he enjoyed them!

It's fun being the prey of dinosaurs!

Surprise, surprise, our weekend was dominated by trains.  Saturday it looked like it was going to be rainy, so we decided to do our (now becoming regular) lunch trip to the Station Inn for lunch.  We stopped off at Shifnal Park on the way to give Tom a chance to run his energy off and then got to the station platform in time to watch a couple of fast trains before getting the stopping train to Codsall.  Tom as is usual was quite excited by the trains, and demanded 'MORE' as soon as each train departed, but he had to make do with 10 including one very long freight train which was 'wow!'

Had our usual good nosh and came home again - it didn't rain all day, but we had a good time never-the-less.  Oh and today was a milestone, Tom was back to napping in the day and sleeping at night without a murmur and is lying in in the morning as well.  It has taken us a full week to get him back on track, but we are there.  We definitely think it was a spider that started it all off, as he saw one in the bathroom earlier this week and got a bit upset with it, until it was dispatched.

The Horse Carousel - Tom's really enjoyed this one

Oh, it was our 7 year anniversary on Saturday as well (doesn't time fly).  We celebrated by some slap up nosh at the Cholmondley Riverside whilst very pregnant Rachel babysat with strict instructions on what to do if she went into labour.

Sunday was supposed to be sunny so we decided to go to Thomasland at Drayton Manor (just 40 miles away).  We know quite a few people who have taken their toddlers along and had a good time, so we thought we should take Tom before the season comes to an end.  We didn't have the best of starts, we got on the Bertie the Bus ride and Tom dissolved into tears, so we got off before the ride even started.  He refused to walk anywhere, so we had to carry him, however, it was quite packed and he doesn't like crowds.  We then tried a calmer ride with some of the diesel engines which started off ok, but went on too long and he started to grizzle. We then found an even slower ride with the little engines on the Blue Mountain Railway, which he did enjoy - phew!  Next stop was a ride on Thomas himself up to another part of the park.  This was a success and it took us to a huge outdoor play area which Tom liked immediately so we stopped there and had lunch. 

Enjoying a ride on Rheneas

Next stop was the Dino trail which Tom enjoyed - I will never understand how a toddler's brain works - how can life size models of dinosaurs with huge teeth and claws not be scary? We then had a look round their zoo, which was quite well stocked, had lots of birds, monkeys, leopards, tiger and lots of reptiles, much more than we expected, and Tom had a good run around and splash in the puddles there.

Rosie - Tom's Favourite

We found ourselves back in the theme park and walked towards a lake where we got a paddle steamer for a quick sail round.  We then found another train which took us around another part of the park.  Tom made it clear that he wanted to have a go on the horse carousel, so Matt did that with him - he loved it - hurray.  We went back to Thomasland and redid a couple of rides and then went for another ride on the train to the play area (this time with Rosie - the pink train which Tom took a great liking too) By now it was quite late, so we had one last ride on the train and drove home.  We were there until 4.30pm so Tom did really well, we didn't get any tired grizzles, he just slowed down.  He was asleep in minutes in the car, so we drove back to Telford and then decided to go straight to our local Chinese restaurant for dinner.  Tom did really well considering that he had to eat immediately on waking up.  He didn't get to bed until about 8.00 and went down again without a murmur, a good happy day.

 

  

Fun at @Bristol and refusing to sleep!

Saturday was a bitty sort of a day. The morning was taken up with me delivering and setting up a cupcake tower for a wedding. 90 cupcakes and a giant cupcake and not much vanilla in sight - half of them were banoffee cupcakes and the other half vanilla but with chocolate topping. Matt was pleased, as were some of my friends who got to eat the left over cakes. Seem to have made too much caramel so feel a couple of banoffee pies coming up...

Once all was set up we carried on into Bridgnorth as we were nearby. Matt finally got to experience Cinnamon which was the cafe that Tom and I used to frequent prior to gymbabes all that time ago. Food was as good as I remembered AND Tom ate a cheese sandwich - we have lift off - he is English after all. We plodded on down to the station to look at some steam trains before coming back home.

We put Tom to bed as usual tonight, but 20 minutes after putting him in his cot he started to cry. This is the first time in months and months he's done it. Matt and I looked at each other in shock. Went upstairs and he looked a mess. Took some time to calm him down. However, as soon as we closed the door he cried again. Unfortunately I was due out babysitting (we were out again on Friday night) so I had to leave Matt with him. Not sure what the problem was, but I found a HUGE Daddy Longlegs outside his room when we went up the first time, it may have been in his room and scuttled across his ceiling? Who knows? It was certainly big enough to be scary. Anyway, it took Matt until 9pm to settle him and convince him to sleep again - must have been up about 15 times. For once, babysitting Mae was the easier option - she also went to bed at 9pm but didn't cry so was much less stressful.

Sunday was Grandparents day. In honour of Mum's birthday we decided to meet up halfway - in Bristol. The original plan was to have a picnic in a big play park, but the weather didn't look reliable so we decided to go to Bristol Aquarium instead. Unfortunately the southbound carriage of the M5 was closed for 3 junctions on our way down, meaning we were a little late meeting up. We had lunch in a cafe and then went to the aquarium. Tom started to look tired in the aquarium (he didn't sleep in the car on the way down) we started to get worried that we wouldn't have a good time, but Tom suddenly got a second wind and that was it, he was off. Not sure who was more mad - Tom or his Granma, not even sure who was chasing who around the aquarium, but both were giggling and having a good time, so Matt, Dad and I let them carry on! As usual, he wasn't that bothered about colourful fish, finding the silver boring ones more interesting. We got a new word 'Ray'.

We then found that there was a steam engine running down in the docks, so Granma and Pop Pop took Tom on it (just as it started to rain, on open carriages!). Matt and I stayed nice and dry in the adjacent museum, M Shed. Now, when I was living in Bristol, this museum was a housing for lots of rotting machinery, it has had a major overhaul and is now a museum about Bristol, and included a 'Bristol' double decker BUS, a second world war bomb which you could sit in, some motorcyles (to keep Matt's interest) and many other exhibits. Really interesting if you have ever lived in Bristol. A little boy was very excited. After a while and once the rain had stopped we went for a drink and then we discovered the water exhibit, a great play area for toddlers. Luckily I had a complete change of clothes for Tom, so we allowed him to get wet. He had a good water fight with me and his Dad and then played swing with his Granma. There was lots of giggling. We finally parted company around 4pm, Tom fell asleep almost immediately.

Once again when we put Tom to bed he started to cry. We tried all types of approaches, being sympathetic, telling him not to be so silly, letting him cry it out etc etc. In the end he cried it out, but it was 8.30 before he settled.

Monday we decided to go to Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre in Craven Arms. Their mascot is 'Little Tusker' - a mammoth of course and Wilberforce follows her on twitter and said we would visit. We got there at exactly the right time as they were holding 'toddle time' which involved Woodland Bingo where we walked around the immediate countryside spotting various things. Tom as usual wasn't sure at the start, but did manage to walk most of the way round it and enjoy himself. He was no better or worse behaved than others. We then had lunch at the centre (very nice) before heading out to the station to see some trains (if there is a train nearby we have to see it at the moment). Tom once again fell asleep in the car on the way home and refused to go down again when we got back. After a good dinner, he refused again to go to sleep and it took until 8.30pm to get him to sleep again.

Tuesday, Tom went to nursery as usual and went into absolute melt down. He cried in the car all the way to the nursery and then screamed blue murder when we got there. I ended up crying as well and had to just leave him there screaming. Called the nursery an hour later to find that he took 2 minutes to calm down and was quite happy and content. When I went to pick him up he was fine. Brought him back home, he wouldn't nap, but he did stay in his cot for an hour, banging around, but not crying, so that was an improvement. We have moved his furniture round in his room to see if that helps.

This evening, he cried as soon as Matt left the room, he went in a couple of times, and then told him in no uncertain terms that he was going to have to cry it out as it was obvious he was trying it on. He settled in about 10 minutes and was asleep by 7.10pm a huge improvement, but today is the first day he hasn't had a daytime nap. We will see what happens for the rest of the week. I'm quite concerned that he may now have dropped his afternoon nap, not good for my cake business, means I lose 10 hours a week caking time. Guess I shouldn't take more than 2 cake bookings a week for a while.

So that's us.

Success!

As Nik alluded to in her last post, I made it my mission this week to get Tom to say "Tom". And tonight, he finally did it. It's taken quite a lot of practice, but he must have said it a good 10 times this evening while I was reading him his bedtime story.

We now need to make sure he doesn't forget it - more practice required....

More Wabbit!

On Saturday we decided to go to meet up with Auntie Jude and visit Park Hall Farm, a farm attraction near to Oswestry.

We all had a good time, first stop in the farm was the small animals; one of Tom's new words is 'wabbit' so he was very happy, plus they allowed us to pet them. Tom was quite happy to sit next to Matt & me and stroke the rabbit which was ace (lovely soft fur - I want one now!)

Next stop was to see the horses, these were a little too big for Tom, who would only go so far before quivering. One of the extra big horses came out, I tried to get Tom to stroke him, but he was adamant he wasn't going too, and there was no point in forcing him.

We then found an indoor play area, which was good for Tom, and a room full of classic motorbikes, which was good for Matt. After a clamber around the soft play area we got the first tractor ride around the farm. We thought Tom would be mega excited to be on a tractor (well a tractor trailer anyway) but he took it in his stride and didn't really show any excitement at all - didn't even want to stand up. Oh well, we tried.

Next stop was the pig racing, we thought there was no way we were going to see pigs run of their own free will and that there would be bribes involved, but no, a group of 5 big pigs came thundering down the race track. I of course backed the losing pig (Pepper)!

Then lunch, a stroll round the maize maze which we didn't really understand and anyway, Tom just cheated, refusing to follow any of the tracks. Next was the cow milking (too scary for Tom), and then a walk to see some ducks, donkeys and highland moos. Needless to say, Tom slept almost all the way home.

Sunday was sunny so we decided to go for a ride on the bikes. We drove to Gnosall and joined cycle path 55 along the old railway line to Stafford, where we had a picnic in the main square before cycling back again. It was 14 miles altogether, but quite easy as more or less flat (although I couldn't keep up with Tom and Matt)

Tom's speaking is getting better and better, although he still refuses to say his name - saying either Mummy / Daddy / me / when you ask him. Matt is determined this week to get him to say it - it's not as if it is a hard name to say. We will see what happens.

Oh, almost forgot to mention - Tom had his 3rd haircut on Friday and didn't cry. I'm not saying he was very well behaved, and I still had to cuddle him and Matt had to distract him with photos on his iPhone, however, he didn't cry and that was a huge step forward. Matt has visions of having Father / Son haircuts together - we've got a step further.

Oh, and we went out for dinner on Friday night, to a tapas bar in Bridgnorth which was WONDERFUL, definitely will go back. We are going out quite a bit at the moment as our babysitter is 8 months pregnant - she wants to fit in as much going out as possible before the new baby arrives, we aren't arguing. Will be interesting to see how long it takes before babysitting starts up again after baby arrives.

Big hugs with my girlfriend

This is slightly out of date order, but Tom met up with his 'girlfriend' last Friday, they hadn't seen each other for 3 weeks and were very excited to see each other. This is their greeting to each other - how cute!

Ouch and even more ouch

A busy weekend. Auntie Vera came to stay for the weekend and Tom took to her straight away which was fab, in fact I think he is missing her now - he was so solemn when she left!

So, whilst we were waiting for Vera on Saturday morning we decided to do our usual bike ride (we haven't done it since before going to London for one reason or another). We immediately realised how much fitness we have lost, as it seemed much harder than it should have done :0(.

We then waited and waited for Vera. We were expecting her around 11.30, but she appeared at 1.00, just as we were giving up and going out for lunch. She literally saved herself by a couple of minutes - I was drawing her a map of where to find us as she arrived. So we took her to 'Tom's Club' for lunch - Matt and I couldn't get past the calzones as usual (mine was full of goats' cheese this time which was really very yummy). When we got home, Tom and Vera went for their afternoon naps after which we went to David Austin Roses, so that Tom could run round and Vera look at the flowers. Tom was in an extremely good mood and ran all over the place. It was obviously a good day for gliders as they were being towed up into the sky every 5 or so minutes which was added interest for Tom - 'Plane...Wow plane'!

We came back and introduced Vera to Jambalaya for dinner. It was 8pm before Tom got to bed - naughty boy, latest he's been to bed in a long while.

Sunday we decided to do the Coalbrookdale Watercourses walk - our favourite one for Tom. We had a good time and Tom did really well, walking the whole way round until he stepped in some nettles whilst playing football and then we had tears - understandable, it was his first experience of a nettle sting and he got a few together poor thing. We then took Vera to the Green Wood Centre for lunch which is always a pleasant experience. Then home for a nap for Tom and for Vera and I to make plum jam. Vera had collected a load of windfall damsons from her work and thought she should bring them up to me for jam making (how clever of her - especially as she didn't warn me) I pulled out my plum jam recipe from school and before we knew it had 2lbs of plums on the boil and filled 4 jars full of it.

The afternoon was spent playing with Tom, then a meal of chicken wings before bath and bed (7.30 tonight - still late for Tom!)

Monday morning came too quickly and before we knew it we were saying goodbye to Vera - Tom wasn't very happy, he really enjoyed himself with her. It was pretty well behaved and ate up as usual at lunch and dinner time which was good, as sometimes when we have visitors he likes to show off and not eat. In fact he is eating huge amounts at the moment, his appetite is mammoth and he's eating things that he's turned his nose up at before. The only thing we can't get him to eat is salad vegetables, but I'm sure they will come in time.

Monday afternoon we went to Telford Town Park - wow it was full, never seen so many people there before. Makes me wonder where all the toddlers are during term time though?! Anyway we got to the playground and Tom suddenly burst into tears, for what looked like no reason, so I had a closer look and noticed a black and yellow insect in his hair (a wasp or a hornet). I shooed it away, took a closer look and found a red spot just behind his ear and a sting still in the spot. I pulled it out and called Matt quickly to find out what to do. He did his research and found that vinegar is good so I went to the chip van and asked for some to dab behind his ear. He was incredibly brave, only cried for a minute, which was amazing, the back of his ear blew up, but he didn't show any signs of distress, although he was very quick to show his Dad his wound on his return home. He ate well at dinner time so no there were no ill effects.

Tom's speaking has improved quite a bit this week - not so much with new words, but using the possessive: "Mummy's towel", pointing to things and saying "Mummy's, Daddy's", when we go round the supermarket, he has to tell me for whom everything is i.e. "Daddy's" when we are in the beer aisle, "Mummy's" when I pick up yoghurt etc. He has also started using the indefinite article "a bus, a cat, a train, a juice" and possessive pronouns: "my car, my ball". So we are definitely getting there, his understanding is getting much better as well now. He seems to have matured noticeably recently as well, in the park he walked up the big slide and came down it all by himself when there were lots of big kids around him which would have been unheard of a month ago.

Typical British BBQ in the Freezing Cold!

Another busy weekend. Saturday was grey and miserable, and as Tom had been requesting 'more train' since we got back from London, we decided to take him on a little journey. So we drove to Shifnal station and got the train to Codsall, had lunch in the pub there (on the station platform so you could watch the trains go past) and back again. It wouldn't have been much of an outing 3 years ago, but with an excitable 2 year old who gets very excited around trains it was a lovely day out. He also ate well in the pub which was fab.

Saturday afternoon we walked round to Asda to get some beer for tomorrow. Not very exciting, and normally a toil for me with a stubborn toddler who wants to go by car, not today, today it was very exciting to walk / run to Asda and he pretty much ran the whole way there and back - I wish I could fathom out his mind and be able to work out when he will walk and when he won't!

Sunday Simon, Clare, Jake and Amber came to visit. They haven't been up for 2 years - very bad considering we've been to there's many many times! We had decided to do a bbq as the weather had been so good, and it meant that the kids would be able to run around in the garden. Famous last words! The clouds closed in and the wind blew. With the set up of our house it is quite difficult to have a bbq in the garden to eat in the kitchen, so we decided we would be 'typically British' and sit outside and shiver whilst eating the bbq! It was cold, wet and windy but we stuck it out until we started shivering and decided enough was enough and we would have to go in.

Amber and Tom both had their naps, and then we decided to go for a walk to tire out the kids. We timed it perfectly, as soon as the cloud burst ended we headed out and actually managed to get some sunshine. We did the circular walk around Granville. Jake headed out - he was in full steam ahead mode and once Tom warmed up he was very happy to chase after his cousin. We managed to have a really nice afternoon and Tom and Jake really enjoyed each other's company running around. Amber, though has to get the star medal as the best behaved child - all smiles and although I was told she cried when she was in bed, I didn't hear it!

The kids all had their dinner when we got back and then all three had a bath together before getting into their PJs and Tom to bed and the other two in the car home. Although lunch was quite cold and shivery we did have a good time.

More pictures!

Just found some more pics from the weekend including some from the Natural History Museum, you will now find them in the last blog post.

More train!

Last weekend was a very exciting week for Tom as he went to London to visit his Grandparents. We picked him up from nursery on Wednesday afternoon and whisked him down south in what was a very smooth journey, helped by the fact he slept for most of it. When we got there Grandpa was home and Tom was surprisingly not shy and got to work in the garden, playing with the wheelbarrow, his tent and a space hopper - more than enough to keep a young lad busy. He was very nervous of the cats though, a hang up we think from the weekend and his war wounds from the pub cat (which he proudly showed his Grandpa). After a good run around during which his Grannie came home, Tom sat up at the table for dinner - tomato pasta - as you can see his hands and his mouth enjoyed the majority of it!

Thursday Pat and Bob took us to Beale Park (near Reading) a park with some animals (birds, sheep, goats, pigs etc) a miniature train, a HUGE sand pit, 2 paddling pools and a 'Little Tykes' play area full of all their play equipment, in short a great place to take a toddler. Tom had a great time and his stamina held up for the day including a side trip to watch trains from Pangbourne station. I couldn't convince him to go for a paddle, but he had a wonderful time in the Little Tykes play area and had two rides on the miniature railway. We were all shattered by the end of the day.

Friday, Matt and Bob took Tom on a double decker red bus to Clapham Junction where he train spotted for a good 40 mins. Apparently he was very well behaved and didn't loose interest once. I took the chance to go to Kingston to get some clothes (as you can see from latest photos of me, I've been getting very scruffy recently) Not my idea of a fun morning, but I managed to get myself some new clothes which fit better than the old clothes. Tom had a long afternoon nap and then spent the afternoon playing in the garden. Tom had his favourite for dinner tonight - curry. It was going well, until he gurgled on his yoghurt and brought the whole lot up again - it was projectile vomit as well and went everywhere! Made a wonderful mess of Grannie and Grandpa's dining room! Just as well it was hot to dry the rug.

Saturday - Matt's birthday - we visited one of Pat's friends in the morning (has a 4 month old kitten whom Tom was scared of) then explored the local playground before lunch, nap and then a ride on a bus and then the underground 'dark!' to South Ken and the Natural History Museum. We thought we would show Tom the dinosaurs and big mammals - see what he thought of them. He loved them: 'roar...Roar...ROAR' was his reaction to the dinosaurs - funny, he doesn't know what a skeleton is, but was able to immediately associate it with an animal. There was a fully animated life size T Rex at the end of the exhibition, we thought that he might be scared of it (seeing as he was scared of a 4 month old kitten earlier) but no, he was absolutely fine with it! How does his mind work?

He also enjoyed the big mammals - especially as there was a good exhibit about mammoths (or was that us that enjoyed that bit?). We met up with one of Matt's friends at the museum, then they went off to meet up with some Japanese translators and Tom and I went home.

Sunday morning saw us in Godalming Crematorium with Jude, John and Shirley for the scattering of Nanny's ashes, then to a nice little tea room nearby which specialises in Welsh Rarebit (fantastic). Next stop was RHS Wisley for a look around the gardens (looking particularly wonderful). Tom was tired by this time, so he had a ride in a pushchair (first time he had been in a pushchair for 6 months) He loved it and made his displeasure known every time we tried to get him to walk! Oh well, so he was king for a day. It was really weird to see Matt with a pushchair, and he said it felt very strange too. We stopped for a drink and a bun before heading back off home (Tom fell asleep in the car). Then a little play, dinner, bath and an exhausted sleep. Matt and I then went out to the Afghan restaurant down the road for a wonderful birthday dinner.

Monday and already it was home time. We walked up to Waitrose to get ourselves a picnic and then headed out. Stopped at Charlecote Mannor (National Trust) to eat it and then carried on home. Anyway a very pleasant week was had by all. Tom certainly knew how to play up to his grandparents (refusing to eat) but also hugs and kisses. He slept really well which was fab, and was in good humour most of the time and the weather was faultless - hardly ever a cloud in the sky, I think we all got a tan.

Words / phrases of the week: Taxi, more train, wow train,

Thanks to Pat and Bob for looking after us so well and to Jude for bringing back everything we forgot (cake, Thomas annuals etc)

A Busy Weekend

We had a lovely weekend last weekend, but seemed to forget to take photos so sorry about the lack of them. Saturday was the day of the West Midlands Translators Walk which took place at Wenlock Edge. We managed to exercise the lad in the morning and he had a sleep before we left meaning he was well rested. I think he was happy to walk, but his pace was too slow for the group so Matt and I took turns in carrying him. It was HARD work, he is quite heavy now (2 stone 2lb last time we weighed him) which is quite a weight to carry on your shoulders. I was really glad that I asked for walking poles for my birthday - they helped a great deal.

After the walk we headed off to Much Wenlock for dinner. Tom was in good spirits, but unfortunately the pub cat decided to scratch him which caused tears and nervousness. However, on the whole it was a good day and it was nice to see the gang again.

Sunday we headed off to a village near Shugborough Hall to meet up with Abi, Rose and Martin. Abi was born on the same day as Tom, they moved to Staffs in March due to work commitments and we had been meaning to see them for quite a while. They have moved into Rose's Nan's house which is an ex pub and about 400 years old. A beautiful place, which needs a lot of work doing to it, but which has a magnificent garden and as the sun was shinning, we spent most of our time out there. We also took our bikes with us, so we were treated to a ride through the Shugborough Estate and had lunch at a pub the other side of it.

Today, for the first time I can remember, I actually experienced Tom being less shy than another baby! So, it was him who found his confidence first and him who led the way with play etc. Very strange, I am so used to it being the other way round. Abi did warm up eventually and she did end up bossing Tom around in the pub garden telling him where to run etc. Both toddlers took great delight in 'giddying' their fathers up on the bike ride home - apparently it led to raucous laughter and huge grins.

We had another play in the garden before reluctantly returning home, it was such a lovely day, a real pity we didn't take a photo of the two of them together.

Green Tongue

Not a great weekend, the weather wasn't good - quite a bit of rain and it has got colder. The plan for Saturday was to go to a steam rally in Bridgnorth with the Zielkes, but Olly came down with a cold and none of us really wanted to get cold and wet, so we visited the Zielkes instead. Tom was in his element (lots of new toys) and we all got to catch up.

Next stop was Shrewsbury for a spot of lunch and some shopping, including Setonaikai, meaning that we picked up lots of Japanese food. Didn't get home until 4pm, Tom was tired, so put him down for a quick nap, then had a late dinner (dim sum - yummy) and late to bed (Tom didn't get to bed until 8.15 - which is mega late for him!

Today, we decided to go to Enginuity for Tom to have a play - which he did, he certainly does enjoy himself there - as long as he can play with the water feature and the recycling apparatus he is as happy as Larry. We then walked to the Green Wood centre to have lunch (Tom wasn't very happy with us and grizzled pretty much all the way there) and then back (with some cheese on toast and flapjack in his tummy he did much better on the way back!)

We then had a lazy afternoon - the boys playing with trains whilst I made Japanese in the kitchen - gyoza and chicken karaage, both of which I was quite pleased with.

If you are wondering about the photo - Tom had a cupcake with green buttercream on it as a treat earlier this week (I made some ready for a wedding consultation, but the bride pulled out at the last minute, meaning extra cake in the house) Makes a lovely picture doesn't it?

Cakes

I had a pretty busy week with work. I took on an order that went from being a simple cake, to being a very involved cake telling a story of a family going stock car racing in the 1970's. It got so involved that I tried to put Tom in nursery for an extra session this week, but they couldn't take him, meaning I had to work most evenings which wasn't great, means I have no time to relax and Matt doesn't get any quality time with me. I have decided not to take on any orders this week, so I can catch up. We also need to go out as we have two babysitting sessions owed us at the moment.

New Words

Tom's really beginning to pick up words now, we've had loads over the past two weeks: Saturday, nose, toes, toast, knee, light, chew, cake, me and many more I can't think of right now. He is also beginning to mimic us, so saying words he doesn't necessarily know the meaning of. It's quite exciting seeing his language develop and makes interacting with him so much easier. He still can't say Tom, if you ask him his name he says 'Daddy'! He will recognise himself in a photo though and say 'me' when you ask him 'who is holding the ball' etc

Long Mealtimes

He has also developed a really annoying habit of chewing his food really slowly, he will chew and chew and chew, but not swallow, meaning meal times can get very very long. Having said that he is still eating well - he ate dim sum and gyoza this week, without too much coercion.

Ouch

If you are wondering the title belongs to me and not Tom or Matt. I've just been doing our usual 4 mile round trip on the bicycle and fell off into a bush of nettles, so I'm sat here with a very lumpy leg and grass stains on my only pair of shorts! Nice photo isn't it!

We had a nice local weekend this weekend. On Friday Matt returned home from London with the Kurodas who stayed overnight. They were the perfect guests (except from the jet lag they were still suffering from). Ate all their food and said all the right things.

We took them to David Austin Roses on Saturday morning (very famous brand in Japan). They have beautiful gardens there, so Tom had a good galavant around, whilst they took in the roses. We then deposited them on to their train back to London and we went off for lunch at our favourite greasy spoon - Long Lane, where Tom was cooed over by Sam, the proprietoress. Then we had a lazy afternoon.

Sunday, Auntie Jude came over for a play and then we all went on our bikes to Tom's Club for lunch. I was babysitting Olly that evening, so we decided to have dinner at lunch time - so a veggie calzone for me please. A bit of a mistake, it was too much food in my tummy to cope with the bike ride back home. Spent the rest of the day groaning, regretting my choice of lunch. The evening was spent babysitting Olly and making models of stock cars for a cake next week.

PS - if you fall into a bush of stinging nettles - the stinging sensation stays with you for 24 hours and then the stings itch for another 24 hours. Not fun!

Summer Fête

Another nice, sunny day, so we decided to get the bikes out and ride to Sunnycroft (an NT property on the other side of Wellington) for their annual Summer Fête - we went last year and had a terrific time. It looked like quite a long ride on the map, but much of the route was along one of the national cycle routes (next to the new railway line to the disastrous Telford Railfreight Park), and it took us less than 45 minutes. We chained our bikes to the railings and left our helmets in the ticket office before heading to the fête.
We made our way around the various stalls doing tombolas, playing traditional games and wandering round the expansive gardens looking for clues on a Beatrix Potter trail. Tom ended up with a couple of little prizes, and after we'd had our picnic on the lawn with the Morrows, we treated ourselves to some ice creams (which Tom showed little interest in), and headed back to the bikes.
The journey home was even shorter (less than 40 minutes), so I'm wondering where we should set our sights for future rides.
Anyway, Tom headed off for his nap as soon as we got back, during which we watched today's MotoGP race. He and I then did a bit of gardening while Nik did burgers for our tea. I'm not sure what he was up to, but I found him crying in the middle of the veg patch with his sandals full of soil & stones. Anyway, I emptied his sandals and he cheered up.
We all then had a good tea, Tom had a much needed bath, and Nik then headed out to babysit Mae - we're going out tomorrow night.
Not a peep from the lad yet - here's hoping it stays that way.

Choo choo trains

A perfect summer day really. Sunny and warm, but not too hot, so we decided we had to get out and do stuff. Tom's favourite word at the moment is choo choo train, so we figured that a day on a heritage railway would be nice for all of us. Instead of the nearby Telford Steam Railway or SVR, we decided to venture further afield and try out the Churnet Valley Railway in Staffordshire. One problem with heading that way from here is Stoke-on-Trent (depressing, full of speed cameras), so I was determined to find another way. Mission very much accomplished thanks to a succession of unclassified roads between Stone & Cheadle.
Following a look round the well-stocked souvenir shop at Kingsley & Froghall station, we had a light lunch in the tea shop there and caught a steam train up the line to Consall, where we spent a very pleasant 45 minutes playing on the lawn next to the station. Football to start with, but Tom then decided it was his job to water the flower beds and veg patch, much to the delight of the lady who was doing it up to then.
We then caught a 1950s diesel unit, which took us to the "end" of the line at Cheddleton, and about 10 miles beyond down an old branch line to Cauldon Lowe quarry, where they run trains a few days a year. Pleasant scenery, but the somewhat shambolic state of the track meant that we didn't ever get beyond 30mph. Tom got very excited on this train and spent far too much time jumping up and down on the seats - lucky the train wasn't that full.
We got home around 4.30 and, realising that we had next to no food in the house, headed swiftly out to Shifnal Cottage, a local curry house owned by a friend of ours. A good meal as always, and Tom ate masses - rice, 3 types of curry, more than a whole poppadum, some naan bread and most of a chapati - the little piggy.
We were all pretty tired, so we put Tom to bed without a bath. He woke up crying around 10.00, though, soaked in sweat. We were worried that his amazingly long run of good health was over, but he was just too hot in his pyjamas - we put him in something cooler and didn't hear from him again until 8.30am.