My best friend comes to stay

Hugging in the park

On Thursday morning we had much excitement as Rachel, Mae and Lucy came up to stay for a night.  How cool is that?  Although they hadn't seen each other for 2 months, they were straight back into being best friends again.  I think there was about 2 seconds of shyness and then we lost Mae and Tom as Mae explored the house, and a game of hide and seek got underway.  Mae is a lot better at this than Tom, she actually hides and waits to be found, Tom still doesn't hide and finds you as soon as you say 'ready or not'.  This meant that Mae was much better and had to hide a long time before Tom could find her (with my help).

Playing on the horse

Lucy had grown amazing amounts as well - she's walking, her hair has got thicker, curlier and blonder, she has more teeth, is beginning to talk and after initially not wanting to be with me, accepted me and played quite nicely with me if Rachel wasn't around - she's a Mummy's girl.

Anyway they acted as if they last saw each other a couple of days ago and obviously still adore each other, it was really good to see both of them so happy to be in each other's company.  Unfortunately Mae wasn't in best health with a cough and cold, but it didn't seem to bother her at all.  After lunch at home we headed out for some fresh air and did our usual circuit of Kirkby Lonsdale - Tom and Mae ran with each other round by the river ending up at the park for a play.  They played for ages and ages in the park - much longer than if Tom and I were in the park together.

Rachel, Tom, Mae and Lucy

We got caught out by a hail storm and decided we should return home, which we did.  We had a quick dinner of sausages during which Mae became unwell with a stomach ache, she ended up going straight to bed - something we weren't expecting at all.  Infact all children were in bed by 7.30 meaning we had quite a nice evening.  This wasn't to last though as Rachel had a dreadful evening with Mae awake with a fever, and her waking up Lucy.  Poor Rachel didn't look very well at all in the morning.  Needless to say Rachel was keen to get home to try to get Mae back on track so they left in the morning after watching a bit of Totoro.  I was sad to see them go, we both re-made our resolutions to keep in touch and make sure Mae and Tom see each other as regularly as possible, their friendship is too good to break.

Sun & seaside

Another very busy weekend (aren't they always!)  It didn't start too well.  I asked Tom what he wanted to do on Friday and he said cycling in Morecambe.  So I swore blindly whilst loading the car with my and his bikes and drove to Morecambe.  We parked up and cycled to the stone jetty for lunch.  Tom did really well, we both really enjoyed ourselves racing along the prom.  We parked up at the Stone Jetty and he was given his choice of lunch for being such a good boy on the bike.  He had a sausage sandwich whilst I had a jacket potato.  This is where the mood changed, Tom was very very very slow at eating his sandwich - it took an hour of constant nagging before he finished it.  

We finally got back on our bikes and cycled back towards the car.  It was all going well until we saw Eric, then Tom got it in his head that he couldn't pedal past him - something about not being able to pedal past a bush next to him????!!! From that point on it was hard work getting him to pedal - he whinged and whinged and whinged.  To be fair it was cold and a little windy but as I kept telling him - he would be warmer if he cycled than not.  In the end he completely gave up!  He sat on his bike and cried.  He wouldn't come off his bike and he wouldn't cycle.  I gave him time out to sort himself out, but that didn't work.  We were both getting cold.  In the end I had to prise him off his bike, then walk with his and my bikes, down the prom, leave them against a bench, walk back, pick him up (he was also refusing to walk!) carry him past the bikes, sit him on a bench further down the prom, walk back to the bikes move them further along the prom past Tom who was still crying and so on - much fun was had as you can imagine.  

In the end a little old lady with a dog and a walking stick took pity on me, ditched her stick, and wheeled Tom's bike whilst I wheeled my bike and carried Tom back to the car.  Thank goodness for kind people, but how embarrassing - she must have been 85 plus!  As  you can imagine he was in disgrace for the rest of the day.  I thought he might fall asleep on the way home as he had cried so much, but no - so he wasn't tired.   I think he was cold, but if he had kept pedalling he would have been ok, I tried to explain to him many many times that was what he needed to do, but he just wouldn't have it.  Oh hum, he was suitably contrite back at home, didn't ask for the telly and sat and did jigsaws by himself all afternoon.  We then went out for a curry in Kirkby Lonsdale, didn't start too well - restaurant not open when we arrived and slow service, but it turned out the staff come from the other side of Keighly (over 70 miles away!) and got stuck in traffic.  They apologised and were quite pleasant, so we will try them again sometime.

Throwing stones in Dent

Saturday dawned beautiful - clear blue sky.  Tom had been told to be on his best behaviour and was in good cheer in the morning.  We asked him what he wanted to do - he said he wanted to go to the Dales, so we decided to explore Barbondale.  This is one of Matt's most favourite places in the world so it was a real test for Tom - would he like it?  We hoped so.  We needn't have worried, he had a fab time, as did we.  We had a kick around near the river and then went for a walk along the river back towards Barbon.  Think we did about 3 miles in the end.  It was a really good walk - not too steep and the walk was fenced in, meaning Tom could kick a football along it.

A model's pose

We found out that if we continued down the path we would have ended up at a pub in Barbon (something to do next time we have a nice day).  It really was beautiful, I could have walked for ever, however, we had a small boy with us who was in good cheer but would need feeding before too long, so we turned round and headed back to the car.  Oh AND we met a lovely old couple with a lovely old labrador which Tom stroked!!!!!  We then went to Dent and had lunch at the Sun Inn, which included pudding (of course) and then a play in the playground and a walk around the village which included a period of throwing stones in the river before heading back home.  Tom fell asleep in the car, he had played hard.

Sunday was a miserable day.  We headed into Kendal to take Tom swimming.  It didn't start well, after looking at the website we thought we could turn up any time, but on arriving just after 10am we found out that they run hourly sessions on a Sunday on the hour, and the learner pool was full.  We thought we would sit in the cafe and wait for the next session, no joy, the cafe was closed.  So, we went into Kendal and did some shopping.  We were too early - most shops weren't open yet!  Not great!  We ended up having a drink in the Booth's cafe and then tried again.  Success, the shops were open.  We then got to the pool for a 12 start, we were the first in, and the pool was pretty empty.  Phew!  It wasn't a great start in the pool, Tom started whinging as soon as we got there, he clung to me and was acting really scared.  In the end I gave him a talking too, it seemed to work, suddenly he started to relax and enjoy himself.  In fact he had a ball.  He swam all over the place, splashed us and himself, jumped in - yes JUMPED IN again and again and again and even asked me to pour water from a watering can all over him.  It was a complete success - we were very proud of him.  Once we were done, we went in search of lunch and ended up at Kitridding Farm for cheese scones.  Tom almost fell asleep in the car on the way back, but not quite.  This wasn't good as in the afternoon Auntie Jude arrived.  We could all tell he was tired but he would not admit it, he was in full fidget mode, wouldn't listen to us etc etc.  We ended up putting him in his bed, but he cried and cried and cried.  His stamina was amazing, there was no way he was going to let up.  I went to lie down with him, he still wouldn't relent.  In the end Matt did a deal with him, come out and be good, or straight back to his room.  He came out and was good.

The Tower and lovely sky

Monday morning Tom and I took Jude for a tour of the area including Kirkby Lonsdale (no Church cat Bob this time unfortunately) and Ingleton including Neptis for lunch (this is becoming a regular tour for visitors staying with us)  We returned home and then all piled in the car for Blackpool.  It is the illuminations at the moment - they end on 5th November.  It is really busy this week as it is darker earlier now the clocks have gone back.  We parked up and went to explore the North Pier.  It was full of tacky shops and amusements (didn't disappoint), we even saw that someone had written a huge Tom in the sand below us (added bonus) and then had a drink in the bar at the end.  The bar was pumping out some really loud cheesy music.  Tom liked it and started bouncing on me.  In the end we did a full dance routine. he loved it.  So nice as normally he tells me to stop if I even hint at a dance!  Matt got it on video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7RhvF_F7c8&feature=plcp

Pirates

Daleks

We then headed off to the lights.  We were a little early, we thought they came on at 5.00, but it was 5.15.  Once they came on they were great.  I was a little worried what Tom's reaction would be as recently he has been saying that he doesn't like lights, but he was mesmerised by it.  "Lots of lights" "Too many colours to count" "Blue, green, white, red, yellow - 29 colours!"  There was definitely lots to see.  In the end he walked 3.25 miles along the prom looking at them.  There were big lights with moving parts, nursery rhymes, haunted lights, daleks, Basil Brush, Noddy, Postman Pat, Romans, Egyptians, pirate ship, big rocket, and a huge display about recycling.  It was fabulous and Tom was really engaged by them.  On top of all that the illuminations were next to the tram line, so there was a lot of tram spotting going on.  Some of the trams were illuminated themselves, one was illuminated as a steam train (really really good) and two as boats - one which was very noisy: tooting and honking its way along the tracks.

A good time was had by all

We finally got to the end of the lights and went in search of a chippy.  We found the biggest chippy we had ever seen.  Queued not long and got served very very quickly.  Fish and chips for Matt and me and scampi and chips for Jude and a bit of everything for Tom all served with bread and butter.  Tom demolished his portion and ate half of the bread and butter.  He had his first chip butty - it went down very very well.  Think I may have started something bad!!!!!

We then got a tram back to the pier.  We had to wait ages and then were crammed on, but Tom didn't mind.  He was so well behaved for the whole trip, Matt and I were really proud of him.  We carried him back the last couple of minutes to the car and then headed home.  He stayed in good cheer for most of the trip before nodding off.  He went straight to bed when we got back, Matt, Jude and I weren't far behind

'Little Miss Vera' comes to stay

Don't know what to say!

The weekend started early this week: Denzil, Lucy and Meg the dog came to stay with us.  Denzil is one of Matt's friends from Bridgnorth Jelly - he's into doing super marathons and was doing one this weekend in Ennerdale.  They had decided to make a holiday out of it - especially as they have a recently acquired campervan that they wanted to try out.  They arrived Thursday afternoon.  Denzil is the guy that got Matt into Shite shirts, they thought they would hit the local pub in them!  Denzil even brought some fab white platform shoes with him.  What a pair they looked.  The look went down well in the pub, someone even came up to Denzil and asked him if he was in a boy band!

We had a good evening with them, Tom even managed to stroke Meg the dog (we were amazed) but then reverted to type when she came rushing in from the garden.  Oh well.

On Friday Matt decided to take the day off. We decided to go in to Kirkby Lonsdale - so Tom could have a ride on his bike and so we could get copies of our passport certified for the Estate Agents.  One of these went really well, the other was a no starter.  Because we are buying the house from an internet estate agent we don't physically see them, they need copies of our passports and a utility bill as proof of who we are.  We need to get someone to certify these copies saying that they are true copies of this document.  I was told to try either a Post Office, Bank, Estate Agent or Doctors to do this.  Post Office: "no" we don't have authority to do that, Bank: "no" we aren't allowed to verify anything, Estate Agents "no" we can't do that because of possible money laundering??????, Doctors, "no" because we have never had a Dr's appointment and therefore they don't know us!  What next, I phoned the Estate Agent we are dealing with back, we will now have to go to a solicitors.  She said she couldn't understand it as no-one else she has dealt with has had such trouble.

On the plus side Tom had a good bike ride, he found himself a really good track in the church yard and went round and round and round and we found a lovely ginger cat to play with, apparently he spends most of his time in the church yard, he was a very beautiful and solid cat.

Here's a link to a video of the cat and Tom biking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhAK9YD6Occ&feature=plcp

We then had lunch in our favourite tea rooms and then back home before heading off again to drop Matt off at Oxenholme, he was heading off to Edinburgh for a translator's workshop and meet up, so I arranged for Vera to come up.  We hadn't seen each other for ages.  I managed to persuade Vera to come up by train rather than drive but as she lives in Watford she was unable to get a through train and ended up on a journey with two changes instead.  Matt and I cruelly discussed this - both of us predicted that something would go wrong along the way.  Guess what - it did - at the first change.  She had to change trains at Milton Keynes to go to Crewe.  She did get a train to Crewe, but the wrong one, meaning she was an hour late arriving with us.  Not a disaster, just typical Vera!

Anyway she arrived at the station, absolutely loaded with bags, Tom gave her a huge hug which was fab and then we made our way home.  Tom went straight to bed and then the two of us had dinner and sat up chatting and catching up until midnight - very late for me, early for her.

Me, Church Cat Bob and Tom

Saturday we looked at the weather and decided to head East into the Dales.   So first stop was Kirkby Lonsdale where we did the same route as yesterday - including many circuits of the church yard and another encounter with the ginger cat (we've christened him 'Church Cat Bob').  We also bumped into Judith from the nursery (made me look popular) before heading off to Ingleton and Neptis for lunch.  Tom was made very welcome as usual by Rachel, and Vera had her first ever cheese scone.  We then showed her our new house before jumping back in the car and heading to Settle the scenic way - ie via Horton in Ribblesdale.  Tom fell asleep so we waited for him to get his kip in the Booths car park.  I then introduced Booths to Vera.  Vera always makes me laugh because whenever she comes to visit me she always asks if there is any food I would like her to bring me (I don't know what she thinks we can't get outside of London)   Anyway she took one look and was amazed - her words "it's better than Waitrose" she's now said that she will send us a food list when we are heading south.

* Oh and Vera we looked the most southerly Booths is in Knutsford - still a bit of a trek for you I'm afraid*

Vera and Tom at Tarn Hows

Tarn Hows

Sunday dawned gorgeous - deep blue skies.  We headed west towards the Lake District.  After a lot of humming and harring we decided to go to Tarn Hows.  We are so glad as it was absolutely beautiful.  We headed to Newby Bridge (at the bottom of Windermere) and then up the west coast of Windermere to Hawkshead - a beautfiul road winding its way around the hills and through dappled tree lined roads. All the trees are turning so there was a rainbow of colours.  Couldn't ask for more.  Got to Tarn Hows and were rewarded by the most beautiful scenery.  The walk round the lake (or Tarn) was only 2 miles, so we decided to do it.  Everyone did really well - it was an easy walk - Tom could do it on his bike if he wanted.  It was completely still, there wasn't even a sniff of a ripple in the water meaning there were the most amazing reflections going on.  Both Vera and I were staggered by the beauty of the place (Tom just liked being outside and running around).  We even saw some Galloway Belty cows.  We took our time walking around, however, before too long our tummies were rumbling so we sped up and finished so we could find some lunch (no lunch here but plenty of picnic spots).  We headed off to Hawkshead and had lunch before continuing on our way up the mere to Ambleside and then around and back down to Kendal in time to collect Matt from his train at 4.09.  Note to self - must go to Tarn Hows again with a picnic it really was a stunningly beautiful place.

Another view

And another

A big Tom hug

A Galloway Belty (incase you were wondering)

Monday we had to put the car in for its service, so I swapped it for a manual red Colt and then had our day out (and if you are wandering - I didn't stall it once, I was very proud!)  First stop was Greenlands for Tom's Enjoy-a-ball.  He did really well.  I stuffed him with a Kinder Egg that Vera got him directly before he started and it worked - he lasted the whole lesson, only having one very very minor wobble.  That is obviously the way to go.  We then went in the farm shop and saw a Cartmel sticky toffee pudding, Vera wanted to buy one, but I suddenly thought why don't we go there and buy one locally - so that's what we did.  Cartmel was a lovely sleepy little village - a very villagey village - little village square, a river housing the biggest, noisiest ducks I have ever seen, winding streets. Unfortunately some places were closed on Mondays but we found ourselves a lovely pub with good food and service for lunch and then we went to the sticky toffee pudding shop for a pudding (we saved a whole 75p buying it here - not withstanding petrol of course)  We then took the little windy roads hugging Morecambe bay back to Carnforth to pick up the car.  It was a really nice ride, Arnside in particular looked very pleasant and worthy of a return trip.

Anyway we got the car back and headed home for Japanese curry and rice.

Tuesday we took Vera back to Oxenholme.  It was a shame to see her go - I haven't laughed so much in ages.  We just slotted right back into being the 'Nik and Vera' who lived in Treetops - just that there was a little boy as well.  Tom absolutely adored her and certainly latched on to her sense of humour.  He called her 'Little Miss Vera' and 'That naughty lady' I think he has got her sussed!  It was a fab long weekend and as she said we shouldn't leave it another year before we meet again.  In fact I promised to try to meet up with her when we are in London in November.

Development

Tom has been developing away recently - other than cycling.

We have entered the 'Why Phase' - so have ridiculous conversations for example why is a train called a train?

He has also started arguing, just for arguments sake.  It's not Saturday, no want to have breakfast, no want to wear clothes etc etc.  This can be quite trying as you can imagine.

We also have 'are we nearly there yet?' in the car for EVERY destination

He stands up for himself if someone dares call him the wrong name - ie not Tom.   This can be quite fun as Vera found out - she came up with lots of names for him for example 'Sweetie Pie' - to which she got: 'I'm not a pie, I'm a boy!'

He's certainly maturing - he's not a toddler anymore and gets more and more fun with each day.

Another sunny weekend

Tom and a cockerel

Well we have been lucky.  We had another sunny weekend and this time we had someone to enjoy it with us - Michael - one of Matt's friends came up on Friday night.  He and Matt were hoping to do some proper walking and they were rewarded with sunshine so off they went and climbed Whernside - the highest point in the Yorkshire Dales.  This meant that Tom and I had each others company again.  I was going to take him for a bike ride at Ribblehead just down the road from where I dropped Michael and Matt off, but when we got there it was packed - I would have had to walk with Tom and his very heavy bike a long way before we could start cycling so I decided not to stop so followed the road and ended up on a very pleasant drive to Hawes.  We had been there once before, but it was mid tourist season and quite packed.  This weekend it was empty so we had a pleasant look around.  We also found a big play park for Tom which kept him happy.  Next stop was lunch - we found a greasy spoon full of bikers (of the motored and non motored variety) this is always a good sign, and it was good (ie cheap, filling and quick)

Riding towards the viaduct

We finished off looking round the town, including a stationery steam train in a car park, and a look around the National Park centre before heading off back to Ribblehead for another go at parking.  We were successful this time.  Tom did a really good job riding under the bridge - it was very lumpy and bumpy and full of pot holes as well as being very uneven.  He took it in his stride - he's definitely getting braver.

And through to the other side

We then drove the very scenic route through Dentdale to Dent to meet up with Michael and Matt.  We got there half an hour too early so played in the park for a while before heading to the pub where we found 2 tired and happy men.  They had just bought a pint each so we stayed and watched them attempt to play darts and then took the scenic route back.

Made a huge amount of pasta for dinner and decided to make some garlic bread with some pizza dough I had left over from earlier in the week.  I wandered whether to put the garlic butter on the dough and then put it in the oven or vice versa.  We decided to put it in naked - a mistake the pizza dough blew up into a huge ball and went very crispy.  A lesson learnt.

Sunday we took it easy in the morning and ended up in Grange Over Sands for lunch in a tea room and then a walk / cycle on the promenade before heading back to Oxenholme to send Michael on his way back to London.

Sunny Weekend

On Friday we got good news - he have had an offer accepted on a house in Ingleton.  We had been pushing to get the price down and managed to shave £12,500 off.  We thought the vendors were being really stubborn, but then a friend of Matt's found out that the original asking price for this house was £400,000 so we have in fact managed to get it for £87,500 under that.  We now think we have done good.  Here's a link to the house: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-25245433.html.  Now comes the hard work - trying to arrange a mortgage and get all the paperwork done...

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At last we had a decent weekend - the sun shone on both days, so we put it to good use and had an outside weekend.  Saturday we headed into the Lake District.  I had been planning for some time to go to Windermere which just happens to the location for the HQ of Lakeland (oh - that's why it's called Lakeland!!!) and therefore their biggest shop.  A voucher for £5 off had come through the door earlier in the week so I thought I would see if I could spend it.

It certainly was a huge store and I could easily spend A LOT of money in it, but I needed to spend £30 to get my £5 off and as I'm not earning at the moment, I couldn't really justify it.  However, I would be very happy to receive Lakeland vouchers in the future to spend there.  They also have a cafe, soft play area for children and wifi, music and headphone area for the men - well thought out so women can have time to themselves to shop, shop, shop - shame we found the play area at the end of our time there, but will keep that in mind for future visits.

View from Brockhole

We then headed off to Brockhole, the Lakeland Visitor Centre for a day out.  Didn't really know what to expect but plenty of people had recommended it to us.  It didn't start off well.  We headed to the adventure play area - full of slides, nets, climbing frames, zip wire, swings etc etc.  Tom had his 'wussie' head on and refused to play on anything - it is really hard when he gets like that: he says no to everything and moans and whinges about everything.  We managed to get him to have a couple of goes on some apparatus, but then gave up and headed to the cafe for lunch hoping that would sort him out.

Tom concentrating!

He did cheer up and ate up.  Matt went to fetch him his bike and fishing net and we explored the gardens.  Tom did really well on his bike - getting up some speed on the down hill bits, he also did quite a bit of fishing (mainly stones and leaves) in the lake.  When we got to the adventure play area again there was no stopping him - he tried pretty much everything and enjoyed himself.  Phew.  So in the end a good day.  The plan for the day was to end up in a restaurant in Ambleside, but Tom played so hard in the afternoon we didn't think he would have the stamina to have dinner in a good mood too, we were right, after about 10 minutes in the car on the way home he was fast asleep and remained so for a good hour.  We went to the Snooty Fox in Kirkby Lonsdale for dinner instead and had a really good slap up meal - so much so that we couldn't finish two adult meals between the 3 of us!

Sunday dawned an even brighter day.  We decided that today we would ALL go for a bike ride.  Tom tends to go slow on his bike because he is always waiting for us - our running skills aren't the best!  We have a bike carrier for the car, but it is very precarious and a right pain to put on and use.  A lot of swearing occurs whilst wrestling with it which is why we have been putting it off.  So, it was with a heavy heart that we got it out and attached it to the car, and then got out our bikes, dusted off the mould, pumped up the tyres heaved them onto the rack and set on our way (took over an hour!)  We headed off to Bull Beck just outside Caton - a car park near to a disussed railway path which is also a cycle path.

Tom was an absolute star and cycled really really well - when you consider how small his wheels are.  He has to pedal manically to keep up with us hardly pedalling at all.  I'm not sure how long he will have this bike for - he definitely needs bigger wheels.  We cycled to Crook O Lune which is another car park with a greasy spoon cafe serving bacon butties, sausage butties and burgers (which Tom demanded and ate up) We continued on down the cycle path across the river and then up an incline and down a hill,  as the terrain was getting harder, we decided to turn round and head back to the car.  This we did.  Tom kept going really well until about 400m from the end when he flagged, but the promise of a banana and a chocolate biscuit got him back.  All in all he did 3.8 miles - no mean feat when you've only just learnt to ride a bike and your bike wheels are tiny.  We were very proud.  As it was still very sunny we then hunted down a pub to have a drink and then headed home.  Once we got home we still couldn't bring ourselves to go inside so we went hunting for blackberries again - poor Tom had to climb the hill at the back of the house with us.  He did it with good humour though, didn't complain once.  He went to bed very very tired.

Here's a clip of Tom on his bike: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcQKf2xEtOI&feature=plcp

Back to the old days...

This weekend I was away again - hasn't ever happened since Tom was born and then twice in one month.  This time it was for our 20 year reunion for University, how on earth did that happen?  I was a little worried about going - not knowing who was going to be there, if any one had changed, if we would have anything in common to talk about etc etc.  However, curiosity got the better of me and I decided to go.

We gave Tom plenty of warning about what was going to happen at the weekend - he even told nursery that he was having a boys weekend with Daddy, including a cycle ride and lunch in a pub so I thought all would be ok.  Nope!  About 2.30 on Saturday morning he cried, I went in and he was sick on me.  Oh joy!  Could it be coincidence that the two times I've left Tom he's been sick the day before or is it really bad timing?

So, at 10.30 I left for Wigan on the train feeling a little guilty.  Debbie was waiting for me - she was giving me a lift to Derby (takes a ridiculous amount of time to get there from here by train)  We were staying at Lisa's for the weekend (Debbie's old housemate) - she never really left Derby and has now settled down just outside Derby with her family, when we arrived Lou was already there.  The old 3-some reunited without any family - was the first time in many many years.  We got ready (usual worry about what to wear - just like being at University again!)  and then headed into town.  Luckily Lisa knew where the pub we were meeting was as I couldn't remember it, in fact I could hardly remember where any of the pubs were.

We walked in and found the guys - Mark, Jason, James, Gary, Mel and Clive of all people, we all said that we didn't expect to see Clive as he had disappeared off the face of the earth quite a while ago.  (Turns out that Mark had to phone his mum to find out where he was)  It was a bit of a shock and quite scary to see everyone there, but with a drink in hand I relaxed and got chatting, first was Jason who I had seen the most recently - in Rotoroa in New Zealand only 11 years ago!  Had a good chat and then continued on.  Turns out that everyone was the same, hardly anyone had changed, a couple had 'filled out' a little (probably a description you could use for me as well) but everyone was the same old person they were 17 years ago.

We ended up having a good time, did a mini pub crawl (lots of places had closed down so not all the old haunts (recession hasn't been good to Derby unfortunately)).  Everyone was having to pace themselves (cheeky diet cokes were being drunk by most in between beers) and food was consumed to help mop up the alcohol, but we all did well including 2 shots of sambucca each (as horrible now as it was then).  Nearly everyone has children and all had interesting stories to tell about work, romance, travel etc.  It really wasn't long enough to properly catch up I didn't even get to speak to some people. I don't think I was able to relate to anyone what I've been up to in the last 17 years.  Everyone was surprised to hear I was living in Cumbria though AND that I was a mum - I wasn't the mum type at all at Uni - to be fair sometimes I'm still surprised myself that I'm a mum.

We did do a mass photo session, but I didn't take any as my phone doesn't have a flash.  I have asked for some pics to be sent to me - I'll put them up here when or if they ever come.

We left Derby around midnight (the guys went on to a club somewhere I think) and to bed around 1am - I had to share a double with Lou (last time I did that I was violently ill in The Gambia).  I couldn't sleep as I started to think about all the things I have done since I left Derby - the jobs: Encounter, Guardian, Compass etc, all the travelling I've done: India, Nepal x 3, Australia, NZ etc etc etc, and everything else: meeting Matt, getting married, having Tom etc.  I've certainly packed it in in the last 17 years, and I think I have changed, but Saturday night was as if none of that had happened and we were our 21 year old selves on a usual night out at Uni. It was very strange, I couldn't get my head round it, so I forfeited the one night I was guaranteed a good sleep - oh well.

Sunday we had breakfast and said our goodbyes.  Lou disappeared off first and then Debbie, Adam, Luke and I went back to Wigan.  I got dropped off at Primark and did a huge shop for Tom (he's growing out of all of his clothes again!) had lunch and got the train back to Oxenholme where Tom and Matt were waiting for me.

The boys didn't have a particularly good weekend - Tom wasn't at his best - having an upset stomach - but they muddled through and were pleased to see me as I was them.

Long Weekend and I CAN CYCLE!

So this weekend was what we call the Shell Weekend when a whole load of people get together for a weekend away.  We are sort of hangers on as friends of Lisa and Cameron.  Most of them work for Shell (hence our name for it) but it started off as a 40th birthday party for one of the guys so the friends really revolve around him including both sets of parents etc.  They are all good friends and see quite a bit of each other, we are the only ones that only see most of the group once a year (apart of course from Lisa and Cameron)  There are plenty of children around - Tom is the only 3 year old, but there is a 5 year old and a 2 year old, however saying that Tom was more interested hanging around Maggie who is 8, Daniel who is 12 and Michaela who is 15!

Anyway, back to the beginning, Matt decided that he was going to take Friday off, so we decided to make a day of it and go the scenic way to the gathering point (near Glossop).  We went cross country, it did take quite a while - the roads were slow and every traffic light we encountered seemed to turn red as we approached it, although it was interesting going through towns we haven't been to before.  As it got near to lunch time we decided to find somewhere for lunch.  We followed signs to a country park (Hollingworth) and thankfully it had a cafe, so we went inside.  First thing we noted - it was really really cold - much colder than I've experienced for a while.  The cafe was situated in a visitor centre which had lots of activities to keep Tom occupied whilst lunch was being made.

After lunch we decided that as it wasn't pouring with rain and as there was some flat paved paths that we should take the opportunity to try Tom out on his bike again - it had been a good 3 weeks since we last tried.  First of all, he allowed us to push him from the back - hurray and then he decided to pedal.  We couldn't believe our eyes, he basically did it by himself, we didn't need to say or do anything (maybe 3 weeks of sleeps thinking about it was what he needed)  Matt and I were really excited - I was jumping up and down on the spot!  We were both so proud. First he did about 5 meters, then 10 meters, then 15 meters including a bend - he was getting better and better.  We then decided to find the country park's lake and take the bike there for more practise - Tom just did better and better.  It was a good day.

To see a video of his exploits have a look here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wl0Fq2gAzk&sns=em

Our house for the weekend

We then carried on towards Glossop, got caught in some awful traffic but made it there around 3.30 so in plenty of time to run around and play cricket, football etc and do some exploring.  The house was very grand - almost a Stately Home, plenty of scope for hide and seek.  We had a small bedroom with stairs leading up to another twin bedroom, so for once we weren't all in the same bedroom which was nice.

Our traditional first meal of the weekend was curry - made by one of the couples.  As usual it was amazing - a choice of 4 curries with every accompaniment you can think of.  I over ate, in fact I majorly over ate.  So much so that I hardly slept at all that night (ended up in the other bed in Tom's bedroom in an attempt to get more comfortable.)

Breakfast was a bacon sarnie and then we split into two groups - one to do a long walk around Kinder Scout and the other to Speedwell Cavern.  Today was not a great day.  Not only was I short on sleep, but I had a feeling of doom about pretty much everything and my fears were pretty much realised on all counts.  Matt did the walk and Tom and I went to the cavern.  I did explain to everyone that I really had no idea where I was going, but was told to punch Castleton into the sat nav and it would be easy to find.  In fact I was made to go first on the road.  The first thing my sat nav did was try to send me down a dead end - meaning I had no faith in it at all.  Unfortunately I couldn't use my instinct as I didn't have any.  As I was going down a main road following the road signs to Castleton I saw all the others turn off and go another way - FANTASTIC!!!!!  I didn't have any phone numbers for them and neither did Irene my passenger.  In the end it took us about 45 minutes to get there, all the others were waiting a good half hour for us and thought we had got lost.  Matt even got a call from one of the people in the party wondering where we were.

I got tickets to the cavern and waited for the next tour.  First thing we had to do was climb down 106 steps to the cavern.  Tom gave up after about 20 steps so I carried him down.  At the bottom of the cavern we were to get a boat which would take us along an underground stream to the big cave.  Tom decided to have a mega tantrum - shouting no, NO, NO, NO, NO WANT TO GO IN THE BOAT - screaming, crying, turning red with rage.  It was awful and really really embarrassing in front of all these people I don't know very well.  I was so embarrassed that I started to cry as well.  I was all for climbing back up the steps but Irene took hold of Tom and told me to get in the boat.  I did.  Tom was still screaming.  Luckily Nona (one of the group) had a tube of fruit pastilles, so I stuffed as many as I could into Tom, this worked - he couldn't cry if he was chewing.  After a while he did calm down, but I didn't hear any of the commentary and was unable to relax or enjoy it.  The big cave at the end of the stream wasn't that much to look at (we've been spoilt in other caves I think).  Tom was OK getting the boat back, he was happy to clamber in and even enjoyed some of the commentary on the way back "silly man walking with feet in air".  

It was almost 2pm by the time we got out of the cavern, so we all headed into Castleton to find a pub for lunch.  Had a really good sandwich (goats' cheese, parma ham and mango chutney) and Tom ate a huge plate of fish, chips and peas.  Tom and I then walked back to the car - he had another mega tantrum - he wouldn't walk, he shouted no, NO, NO, NO, NO, sat down in protest, spat at me, screamed, cried, you name it he did it.  I ended up literally dragging him all the way to the car.  Not what you would call a fun day. We drove back to the house and Tom was sent to his room in disgrace.

View from Kinder Scout

Matt arrived with the other walkers looking very tired, a 7 mile walk turned into a 10 mile walk and was very hard going.  We exchanged stories and felt sorry for each other!  We had a BBQ for dinner and then went to bed pretty early - one physically drained and one emotionally drained.

Sunday morning we had bacon sandwiches again and then lazed around for a while - Tom playing with the other children.  In fact he was enjoying himself so much that in the morning whilst Matt and I were still in bed we told him to go and find the others to play with and he did and didn't come back - very unusual but also very very lovely.  Tom also decided that Fred (comedy French man) was the best person to play with (he was probably right) and attached himself to him - much hilarity ensued.

Eventually around 11am we decided that we should start on our way home - we decided to go the faster way - ie on the motorway.  We stopped off at Chorley to go to Booth's (apparently voted the best Supermarket in the World) - was OK, but nothing so special we were both a little confused, plus it didn't have a cafe, so we had to go to the Wetherspoon's next door instead.  Oh well, we then drove to Morecambe and got the bike out again.  This time Tom looked a pro - he cycled well over 2 miles - just kept going.  Matt and I had to run behind him - something I don't enjoy - think we will need to get the bike carrier out again so that I can cycle with him.

We got home exhausted but happy and collapsed in bed.

Hair Cut

Spiky hair!

Today we all went into Kendal for the afternoon, the boys tried out a Turkish barbers - they both seemed to enjoy themselves.  Tom had 'product' put in his hair - making his fringe all spiky -  he looked sooooo grown up, and Matt had his ears flamed????!

Dry day, wet day

Me and Tiger Tom at Malham Tarn

So this weekend was our first weekend to ourselves since we've been here (although originally we were supposed to meet with some friends on Saturday) - we've been really lucky having so many visitors during our settling in time.

We took the opportunity to start house hunting so made some appointments and headed to Ingleton for the morning.  Both houses were good - the first one had the best and biggest kitchen and the second had the best garden and plenty of character - but the smallest kitchen in the world.  We have 2 more to see and then I guess we will need to make a decision.  One thing of note though, both sets of owners were the loveliest people.  The first owner was late but his brother (old next door neighbour) looked after us with drinks and biscuits.  The second set were oaps who had travelled the world including Japan - ended up there for an hour - mostly chatting about travel etc rather than talking about the house.

Tom in Malham

We had lunch at Neptis - the whole village was there - it was Wild West Weekend so lots of cowboys and cow girls around and face painting, craft activities etc.  The owner / manager of the cafe - Rachel seems to know everyone in the village - but on talking to her today it turns out that she is one of 14 grandchildren, in fact the first house we looked at today belongs to one of her cousins.  It is a nice place to go though, a lovely atmosphere and Tom is known by name there.

Tom on a silly Reggie!

We walked back to the car - stopping to watch some line dancing and look at some horses on the way and then drove to Malham Tarn.  We had heard that the walk around the Tarn was easy and flat so thought we would go there with Tom.  It didn't start very well because it was windy so Tom cried, but luckily kicking a football seemed to help him get over it and he walked (well kicked) really well without any more protest.  He was so good that we treated him to tea and a bun in Malham afterwards.  Can't wait for him to have a bit more stamina so we can do proper walks with him.  Came home via Country Harvest where Matt bought some very tasty lamb pinwheels for dinner.

Tom and a Bear

Sunday was a revolting day - windy, cloudy and very very very rainy.  It was definitely an indoor day. We had a look on various websites and decided to do the Lakeside and Haverthwaite and Lakeside Railway with a side trip to the aquarium.  It was a good choice as the rain didn't stop the whole day - so much so that we couldn't see a thing out the windows of the train.  Oh hum - I'm sure it is beautiful on a good day.  First stop though was the aquarium at Lakeside (directly opposite Fell Foot Park) - not bad for a small one - they have 2 otters who were very cute and then fish from around the world as well as some monkeys, a 'funny reggie' snakes etc.  No sharks, but we did get Tom a very good and very cheap shark T-shirt from there (size 6?????!!)  

Then it was time for the train - it didn't start well, we got caught up in a crowd when it was pouring with rain and then the train tooted - all of which made Tom cry.  Took a while for him to cheer up again but we got there eventually and he enjoyed the ride.  We looked around the station at Haverthwaite - which had a Thomas room with craft activities, mega blocks, a table with track and trains and a Thomas train running on tracks suspended from the ceiling.  There was also face painting (again!)  Tom was in his element and even managed to play with the trains when there were two other boys playing with them.  He had his face painted again - but this time as Thomas.  We only just managed to drag him away to have lunch.  Lunch was good though, there was a 'funny man' there who did magic tricks, dog balloons and was generally very silly.  Tom was entranced by him, I must say he did have a brilliant manner with the kids.  A couple of fish finger sandwiches later we returned to the Thomas room for a little more play before meeting with a large mascot bear for photos and then back to Lakeside on the train and another go through the aquarium before returning home (he fell asleep in the car and stayed asleep as we transferred him to his bed)

We then had an afternoon in listening to the torrential rain looking at photos and doing jigsaws.  Then dinner and bed.

School shock

Friday Tom and I went for a look around Kirkby Lonsdale Pre-school which is part of the primary school.  I was expected a half hour look around the pre-school room and a chat with the teacher.

How wrong I was!  I arrived and was greeted with "Oh, Mrs Young, we are expecting you" and then got introduced to Mrs Oldroyd (who I worked out about 10 minutes later was the head teacher).  She took me to pre-school, we had a look around and then we left Tom in the pre-school room whilst she showed me round the whole school.  I so wasn't expecting this - I was only looking to put Tom here for one session a week until we move to our new house where-ever that may be.  I certainly wasn't going with a view to sending him to school there next year.  As a result my brain went completely blank with questions I should ask and I ended up a nervous wreck (I didn't have a particularly good time at school and as a result all the old insecurities returned and I ended up with a stomach and a headache!)  Oh hum, I'm sure I will get better.  Anyway, schools have changed since I was last in one (mainly due to the bank of computers in each room) and lessons seem more practical than academic.  The head mistress was quite scary though and I found it really strange being introduced to all the teachers as Ms Hitchinson, Ms Robson etc etc - they were mostly around my age and I have many friends who are teachers all of whom allow me to call them by their first name!

Tom enjoyed himself in pre-school, although he wouldn't join in at storytime (nothing new there) and the pre-school teacher was really lovely - a lovely cuddly grannie type of person - Tom would love her.  We finally left the school 2 hours later - my brain completely fuddled.

It wasn't a nice day so we went into Kendal for the afternoon - lunch at the Booth's restaurant - very good quality and fantastic service and then a quick look round the shops and purchase of blue plasters, eye bandage etc for my Lily Pad first aid kit and then home.

New nursery, new friends

This is the first official week back at school after the holidays so all the groups have started up again.

Monday I went to 'Move and Groove' in Ingleton - advertised as for 2-4 year olds.  Turned up to find most were 2 and under 2, including babies.  One 3 year old turned up, also a Thomas, unfortunately he was deaf and had learning difficulties so not a great match for Tom.

Tuesday we went to a play group held by Casterton School - once again everyone was under 3.  Tom didn't seem to mind and the mums were quite friendly.  Went to a playbarn in the afternoon - was very quiet - only about 6 children were there, and once again all young ones - where oh where are the 3 year olds round here?

Wednesday and Thursday Tom went to his new nursery and from what we can work out really enjoyed it.  He cried at 2pm on Wednesday and 3.20pm on Thursday, but has found some friends (his age too - yahoooo!)  Toby and Lily - both of whom gave him hugs and kisses when Tom left each.  A real relief.  I in the meantime have used my 'time off' wisely and have started to set up Lily Pad Bakery again.  I have sorted out marketing, updated the website ready for relaunch, and contacted Environmental Health  and done an on-line Food Safety Course.  Hopefully soon it will be all systems go.

Boys' Weekend

He's in there somewhere

Saturday Grannie and I went to London together, leaving the boys to their own devices.  I went to London to see Lindsey and Stuart as they are emigrating to Australia at the end of the month and were having a leaving do.  I had a lovely time - London was a good 10 degrees hotter than Cumbria so I was a little over dressed.  I was sad to say goodbye to Lindsey, but am so happy for her new adventure and hopefully we will see her next year if we go over there.

One thing to note, there was a very different atmosphere in London - people were happy???!!!  The Paralympic games definitely had had an affect on the place, I even got given a sweet on the train back to Pat and Bob's by one of the games makers.  Feel sorry now that we didn't make the effort to go down there - although with the move it would have been quite difficult.

Anyway - over to Matt:

Well, Tom & I dropped off Mummy and Grannie at Oxenholme station and then dashed in the car down to the level crossing at Hest Bank so that we could wave at them as they sped past on their Pendolino. Nice idea, but as we were waiting by the gates, another train went north at great speed, which scared Tom. He burst into tears and refused to stand there any longer, so we had to go and hide next to the beach cafe. Ho hum. He also insisted that we used the bridge rather than the level crossing all afternoon.

England's next superstar?

Still, the weather got out really nice, and we had a good time digging shells (and dumping them in rock pools), playing velcro tennis and cricket, with his new cricket set. Given that he wasn't at all well, he played very nicely and showed himself to be a pretty decent cricketer. When he did hit the ball, it fairly flew. We stayed a couple of hours, had tea and a bun at the cafe and then headed home. He watched a bit of TV and then had a small dinner (a fish finger and a few spuds). The lovely weather meant that we could eat outside, and the sight of the chickens, rabbits and funny sheep doing their stuff in the field really cheered him up, and he ate more than I thought he would. More importantly, it all stayed down. We had a quick bath and Tom then headed off to bed for a much needed sleep.

Fortunately, he slept right through and woke up in good spirits. He ate a decent breakfast and said he'd like to throw stones on the beach on the Lune next to Devil's Bridge. It was a nice morning, so that's what we did. It all started very well - hardly anyone about - but he then slipped into the river, filling one welly with water. I changed his trousers, but he didn't really get over it. We then had one of those ridiculous displays where he becomes petrified of dogs - in this case a shaggy dog about 30 yards away who was enjoying chasing sticks into the river. We had complete hysterics, so bad that the the dog's owners tied him (the dog) up. This wasn't on, so I apologised to them and brought my silly son home. He spent about 15 minutes in his room, contemplating his behaviour, before he calmed down enough for us to go out again. We've been meaning to go to Kitridding farm shop and cafe since we moved here, so that's what we did. Good choice. We each had a cheese scone and I had an outstanding cup of coffee, the owner was extremely friendly and chatty, there was a lovely farm cat who enjoyed a good stroke, and we also managed to walk round the lake and shout at the ducks. I think it was exactly what he needed to get himself back on track.

Throwing stones

Before long, though, it was time to head to Oxenholme to meet Mummy from the train, although we had to wait on the southbound platform, as his tummy was still quite not right and there's no loo on the northbound platform. Anyway, Nik's train arrived on time, so we collected her and headed to nearby Sizergh Castle for the afternoon. We played a bit more cricket on the lawn (Nik did her best to lose the ball by whacking it over a fuchsia hedge), and then we actually did the tour inside the castle, mainly because they provide a kids' activity sheet whereby they have to look for a specific object in every room. He did very well and managed to tick off all the items. Then tea and a bun and back home to rescue the washing - the sky was starting to look very threatening.

Kitridding pork cops for dinner (very nice), then off to bed ready for the working week.

Grannie's visit

Tom's trial went well on Wednesday. I sat in the staff room reading a magazine (bliss!) whilst he explored the room, when I reappeared he was happy and the lady looking after him said he could come any day as he is a good tidy upper.  Anyway he was happy which meant that I was happy.

On Thursday Grannie came on the train.  Matt and Tom went to collect her then we headed into Kirkby Lonsdale for a wander around and tea and a bun.

Friday the plan was for a proper afternoon tea at the Midland Hotel in Morecambe - a famous art deco landmark.  First we went to Carnforth to play in the Thomas room and have a light lunch, then we did some memory lane bits for Pat - visiting various houses. We had time to kill so we thought we would wander around Morecambe town centre - BIG mistake.  Morecambe's best feature is its promenade - on no account should anyone walk behind it - the place was very drab, dreary, depressing and in dire need of help.  Lots of charity shops and pound shops and very little else.  It was pretty much impossible to spend any time strolling around as it wasn't exactly inviting or pleasurable.  Looking in the estate agents window confirmed the state of the town - property here is very cheap.  We ended up back on the promenade so Tom had a play in one of the parks there and then we looked at the shops on the promenade and actually came across a gem of a shop full of interesting toys including a huge big jigs selection and a huge selection of dolls house furniture and fittings (please note Mum!) so it wasn't a complete loss.

Afternoon tea (before it all went wrong!)

Eventually it was time and we headed to the hotel which felt very upmarket after our time in the town centre.  We quickly brushed hair, put on smart clothes and made ourselves presentable before being seated.  It really was very nice, we looked out on the sea from the warmth of the conservatory.  Tea came and was very nice we were looking forward to a nice civilised afternoon, but it wasn't to be:

1) Tom took a bite of his first sandwich and was promptly sick - luckily most of it went in his napkin.
2) Pat managed to drop part of her custard tart on the floor.  The custard ended up running down her handbag and she couldn't find the pastry until the end of the meal when it turned up stuck to her black trousers.
3) We all had a massive giggling fit during the custard tart incident - you had to be there, but we were crying with laughter and making a spectacle of ourselves.
4) Matt managed to drop the chocolate bit of his chocolate eclair on the floor and then rub it into the carpet.
5) Matt then reached across the table and smeared clotted cream across his shirt.

I was well behaved (apart from uncontrollable giggles).  Humm, not sure we will be allowed back.  It was very nice as you can see from the photo, we were the last to finish, not sure if that was because we were being slow or because the other guests left early to get away from us!

Anyway, it was an afternoon tea to remember.

We got home, gave Tom some jam on toast and a banana at his request - he was instantly sick - he wasn't well, so he had a dip in the bath and went to bed whilst the sofa covers went in the washing machine.

Lighthouses

Lighthouses!

Today it was another beautiful day so we went to Morecambe again (I love being by the sea!)  Tom had another biking lesson - but we had no improvement on yesterday - think it was too windy today.  So we had a picnic and then played sandcastles.  Tom had me making sandcastles, and told me where to put them, then he decorated them with stones and called them lighthouses.  I then had to bury his feet.  This is the result.

"Happy Annie Nursery"

Tom delighted to be invited to our anniversary meal

Monday was our 8th Wedding Anniversary.  We almost forgot!  So much has been going on recently that it crept up on us without us really noticing.  Neither of us had cards, and as we are now living in the middle of nowhere, we had no opportunity to quickly run out and get one - at least we are both as rubbish as each other!!!!

The day started with Tom trying out his new nursery for an hour.  He didn't do too badly, clung to me at the beginning, but warmed up after not too long and did some exploring with the staff.  He's going back in on Wednesday for an hour without me - fingers crossed he doesn't miss me.

We then had lunch at home and went to Morecambe as it was lovely weather - blue sky and no wind.  I gave Tom another biking lesson.  He did much better today - I managed to get him to pedal whilst I was holding on to the front of the bike (he won't let me push him from behind!) so definite progress - he had a ice cream to celebrate.  We then explored Happy Mount Park (another zip wire which he monopolised for a while) but then began to flag so came home.

Luckily he fell asleep in the car on the way home, so I left him there when we arrived back, then we headed out to Kirkby Lonsdale for our anniversary meal out.  We went to the Italian again.  Tom was in top form, entertaining us royally.  He sang us a number of nursery rhymes (including Peter Rabbit - which he is doing in the photograph) and was generally a happy, charming chappy.  We demolished our garlic bread, meat ball pasta and ebi & chorizo pasta in no time at all and he remained happy.  It really was a pleasure to be with him - he made our night.  Oh and his version of Happy Anniversary - Happy Annie Nursery!

More Model Railways

When we were at the model railway exhibition in Carnforth we picked up a flyer advertising another exhibition in Millom this weekend.  As Tom enjoyed it in Carnforth so much we decided to go.  It took a while to get there, but it was worth it.  This time there were 12 layouts including one based in Japan (we were very excited, explained our link with Japan and exchanged email addresses).  There was also a Thomas layout which children could operate (Tom's favourite for obvious reasons) and a layout with the smallest real steam engines you have ever seen.  Also was a 5 inch gauge garden railway for children to ride on (Tom did this 3 times - it was free!)  We were even photographed by the local newspaper: http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/millom/millom-model-railway-exhibition-1.991795?referrerPath=pictures (scroll to the penultimate one).

Our tummies started to rumble, so we found ourselves a greasy spoon - Tom ended up with the biggest lunch again (how does he do it?) and then headed off to Grange Over Sands where we took off Tom's stabilisers and tried to persuade him to ride his bike freestyle.  Not a great success - he did manage 4 revolutions by himself and then cried!  Typical, as we no longer had visitors, it was a glorious day with bright sunshine.

Weekend with the Morrows

So we continue to have visitors, it's been fabulous for Tom recently, lots of people to play with - we are under no illusion that they have all come to see him not us, he certainly is a popular boy.  AND all his visitors are girls - could this be the sign of things to come?!

Selecting stones

1, 2, 3...

So on Friday we rushed out to go swimming for the last time in the open air pool in Ingleton (it closes next week)  It was absolutely beautiful in the morning - deep blue sky, not a cloud to be seen.  Meant the pool floor was freezing, but it was lovely to be in the sunshine in the water.  He didn't do as well as he did the week before, being in full cling mode, but he stuck the session out and was given a certificate and we were invited to nibbles afterwards, luckily Sammie had texted me saying she was running a little late meaning we could hang around managed to do some networking, chatting to some of the mums.  No-one seemed to know of any children in Ingleton who are 3!  Beginning to think Tom will be in a class of his own when he goes to school!

We got back home with about 30 mins to spare before Sammie, Sophie and Jen arrived.  Tom was absolutely delighted to see them - big hugs all round.  We had a quick lunch and then went out to show the girls Kirkby Lonsdale.  We played in the field by Devil's Bridge and did the long walk by the river into the village.  We decided to go down to the beach area to explore and to throw stones.  All 3 children loved throwing stones and did it with lots of enthusiasm - it is amazing that there weren't any injuries.

Very cute.

throw as far as you can

The plan was to walk in and then go to the park (Jen had requested this).  However, as soon as we arrived in the village the heavens opened and it rained.  There was no point going to the park so we went to a tea room instead and sampled local produce (very important job).  Tried out the pink tea room on the corner and found upstairs comfy sofas and LOTS of toys for children - fantastic (the 3 children played with the toys with pretty much no argument :0))  Also there was a separate room which would be perfect for a Jelly especially as they have free wifi.  After quite a long stop in the tea room we walked in the rain back to the car and back home.  We had dinner and then the children had a bath together.  They all went to bed really nicely as well, amazing, I thought we would have trouble with all the excitement.

The podium

As has become the norm when we have guests the sun decided not to come out on Saturday.  Not great - we want to show this region off to everyone - it really is quite hard if it is cold and miserable, especially as it is August!  Oh hum, the Morrows are made of stern stuff though and said they didn't mind going out in the cold, so we stuck to plan A and took them to Fell Foot Park at the bottom of Lake Windermere.  It did look as if it was going to be sunny a couple of times, but the clouds won and we had to run around to keep warm :0(.  We bought the children a fishing net each, and spent a good hour fishing for dead leaves.  We had a brave picnic in the cold (Matt went to fetch hot drinks for him and Sammie) and then did some running round after Sammie treated the children to a kite (we all definitely need more kite practise - we did manage to launch it and keep it up a couple of times).  Then to the adventure park - Tom made a beeline to the zip wire then I played monster in the maze (lots of screaming) before we (I) decided that an ice-cream was needed (it was hard work being a monster!).  So we had an ice cream and then decided to call it a day - pizza dough needed to be made for dinner.

Fishing for ... leaves

So, back home, dinner and then we had to say farewell to the Morrows.  The girls donned their pyjamas and then got in the car for their journey home.  It was a short visit, marred by rubbish weather, hopefully the weather will behave better next time.  It was lovely to see everyone, Tom really has been spoilt.  Thank you for visiting.