Lilly's party

Last weekend, Tom went to his first party since we moved up here.  It was Lilly's birthday - Lilly is his girlfriend from nursery, they are apparently inseparable during their days there, although I think it is a little one-sided from Lilly.  Lilly is actually bigger than Tom, so I was quite surprised to find that she is only now turning 4.

Tom was down on sleep this week, so after a morning re-doing the alphabet trail in Ingleton, he went to bed for a rest - to our amazement he did actually sleep, in fact we had to wake him up and were late for the start of the party - thinking his rest was more important than being on time.    

See Saw

When we got there, the party was in full swing.  It was held at Barbon Village Hall which has an outdoor play area so all the children were scattered in the park, on the bouncy castle or doing crafts outside.  It was a wonderfully understated party: none of this yummy mummy competitiveness that seems to be the norm these days.  Music was adult music (Muse etc), adults were greeted with Pimms on arrival, there weren't any party games and no party bags, now that is my type of party.  I did make Lilly a cake, but it was for at home with her family - there were homemade cupcakes for the party - fantastic.

It was a beautiful day, I hardly heard any tears or raised voices.  Food was a hot dog each and crisps (as I said it was understated)  just goes to show that you don't need to overdo it to have a good time.  

It was a Tinkerbell themed party. (Tinkerbell is the fairy from Peter Pan for those not in the know).  Allison (Lilly's mum) had handmade both Lilly's and Nancy's fancy dress (Nancy is Lilly's younger sister) - I think they were the best looking dresses I've seen in ages.

Big Hug

When we arrived I wondered if Lilly and Tom would play with each other as parties are very different environments to nursery and all of Lilly's friends were at her party.  So I was happily surprised to see Lilly running towards Tom when she saw him arrive.  They then spent pretty much the whole party playing together.  It was very lovely to watch.  Just as well really, because Matt and I did't know anyone, but of course pretty much everyone else there knew each other, so we were pretty much alone. It didn't matter.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONkmYWeok1s - video of Tom and Lilly playing in the park.

Bank Holiday Monday - the sun disappeared, but it didn't rain until quite late.  We had heard that a steam train would be crossing the Ribblehead Viaduct so we decided to do a walk up there, keeping close to the railway line so we could see it.  It was a lovely walk, and the steam train arrived right on time.

Ribblehead Viaduct

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQgVjB3oLU4 - video of the steam train

We then headed out to Hawes for a cheesy lunch at the diary there, and then home.  Tom fell asleep in the car so Matt stayed with him whilst I went in to cover Simon and Clare's wedding cake.

Telford Weekend

Sorry for being so behind again, I had a heavy weekend after which I got ill so I haven't really had the energy to to do much in the evening - Tom has been wearing me out!

On Friday we dropped Matt off at Ribblehead Station on Friday lunchtime for his week in London (ITI Conference at the weekend and interpreting at Chelsea Flower Show for Mr Kuroda on the Wednesday).  We then headed down to Telford for the weekend.  Sammie wanted to plan a surprise weekend for my 40th, but it didn't work out so I thought I would visit them instead whilst Matt was away.

We had a surprisingly easy journey down to Telford, considering it was Friday afternoon - took under 3

Tom and Mae

Hugging

hours.  Tom was under strict orders to fall asleep - I told him he could sleep in the car or not be allowed to stay up late, he decided staying up was the better option and nodded off for an hour.  First stop was to see Rachel, Mae and Lucy (as Sammie works on a Friday) so we went to their house for a play and dinner and then Tom, Mae and Lucy had a bath together and got into their pyjamas whilst I waited for Sammie to give me the nod that she was home.

Tom and Mae still recognised each other and played really nicely together.  It was lovely to see them - they both have gentle natures and recognise this in each other.  Mae tried to get Tom to dress up as a witch, for the first time Tom said no, because boys don't wear dresses: male stereotyping has begun (although it isn't too bad, his favourite colour is still pink!)  They both ate up well for dinner as well - Tom even ate olives that Rachel gave him - which I know he's not all that keen on - well done him (although I think he adores Rachel so much he'll do pretty much anything for her)

Bedtime Bouncing

When Phil came home, Mae introduced Tom to her wrestling Daddy game, before too long both of them were giving him a hard time - both were giggling and giggling  - poor Phil - he had to work very hard.

Sammie didn't get home until 7.30 - so we said our goodbyes quickly (Tom as is usual these days didn't say goodbye very nicely as he was enjoying himself so much) and headed over to Ketley to see her.

On arrival to Sammie, the kids went mad - Sophie and Jen were very excited to see us and Tom latched on to the excitement and went mad too.  In a bid to calm them down, Sammie put Kiki on and ordered them to sit still on the sofa and watch it.  They did.  In fact, Sophie fell asleep on me - but it was 10pm - yes 10pm before they went to bed, Tom was still protesting that he wasn't tired, but submitted in the end.

Saturday morning we spent with Sammie, Jen and Sophie not doing much - just hanging around, playing.  One of Sophie's toys is a microphone - all the children had a go at performing their favourite songs on it.  I wasn't sure that Tom would go for it - but not only did he enjoy it - he tried to monopolise it.  I couldn't quite believe it - so filmed it for you - have a look at the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLNqJzxwtac

Jen had a dance performance in the afternoon, so we said our goodbyes to them at lunchtime, headed over to Asda for a quick lunch and then a long drive to Wonderland.  I say long drive to Wonderland because Tom was very short on sleep and not particularly well behaved in the morning, I needed him to have a good sleep before meeting up with Mae and co for the afternoon so he would be on good form.  It worked, he fell asleep and managed a good 1.5 hours before Mae turned up.

Tom and Mae on the train

Jake, Tom and Mae

In all our time in Telford, we never went to Wonderland, Rachel has a season ticket to the place and some money off vouchers, both Mae and Lucy enjoy it, so it seemed the most stress free option for the afternoon, also Mae wanted to show Tom around.  It was really good and lots of fun.  The place is full of mini rides, all of which are included in the price of the ticket, so you can go on as many times as you please.  That's exactly what the kids did - in fact some rides, Tom didn't get off, he just stayed on and went again and again.  He really enjoyed himself.

I was hoping to meet up with Helen and Jake whilst in Telford and was lucky in that they found a window on Saturday afternoon and came down to Wonderland to meet with us.  Was lovely to see them all - including not so little Thomas who is certainly a very bouncy baby.

Sometimes when you get 3 children together, two go off and one gets left out.  This didn't happen which was so good, one minute Tom and Jake were playing together, then Tom and Mae which lead to a very harmonious afternoon.  We all had fun, the kids had fun, it was a great afternoon and the time went very very quickly.

On the caterpillar ride

On the carousel

Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye.  Was sad to say goodbye to Mae and Lucy, but Rachel has promised to come and visit over Summer.  I'm so happy that Tom and Mae still get on so well, they just click back into being friends again when they see each other - lets hope this continues.

Huddled up on the sofa

We got back to Sammie's in time for the kids to make homemade pizzas - they then huddled on the sofa together to watch the rest of Kiki and were early to bed.



This was good as at 7.30 Rachel and Sarah came round for a girlie night in,  it was also Eurovision night, so we ordered in a Chinese takeaway, poured ourselves some wine and sat back chatting about everything and nothing, critiquing Eurovision and generally having a good giggle.  Was a lovely evening - I miss my girlie chats at the moment, it always takes quite a while to get to that stage in a friendship.

Anyhow, I rolled into bed happy.

Tom and Becca

On Sunday we said our goodbyes to Sammie and the girls and then went to visit Rose, Paul, Hannah & Becca for a couple of hours.  They were all well - Tom went off with the girls, whilst I sat and chatted with Rose and Paul in the garden - yes in the garden as the sun was out - hurray.

We headed back up North at lunchtime, the plan was to detour via Morecambe as it was so nice.  The motorway had other plans.  It was blocked from junction 17 to 22 - so we came off and went cross country.  Not much fun, but at least we kept moving.  However, it added 2 extra hours to the journey, so we didn't make the beach and just came straight home.  Such a shame, I was exhausted (2 nights of bad sleep) so we went to the Co-op bought a ready meal and went early to bed.

Birthday Trip to Edinburgh

We headed to Lancaster late Friday morning.  Tom fell asleep in the car on the way over - it was 11am - he hasn't fallen asleep that early for a long, long, long time!  However, we think he may have been a little ill this week: on Wednesday he came out in a rash on his forearms and neck, we took him for a check up with the Dr to get the ok to send him to nursery and she said it was caused by a virus and his ears were inflamed.  So he had Wednesday at home with me on Drs orders and went back to school / nursery on Thursday.  He seemed ok to us though - maybe something just lingering in the background.

Lots of animals

Major Tom?

Once he had woken up, we headed into Lancaster to get our lunch from M&S (ready for eating on the train) and then headed back to the train station for what is now our compulsory stint of train spotting.  We got to Edinburgh on time, we walked in the rain to our hotel which was quite close by.  We were booked in at The Howard hotel, a very nice hotel full of suites and butlers (no female staff - very strange)  We had a HUGE bed and Tom a sofa bed (he was very very pleased with this).  We refreshed and then headed out to the shops and Pepperberry for which I had received a number of vouchers.  This is a shop I found on line which makes clothes for the busty lady.  I turned up and a lovely lady took me under her wing as I explained my problem - especially the fact I need something to wear to Simon's wedding later this month.  WOW!  Why didn't I know this shop existed?  I couldn't believe it, I put on a dress and discovered that I do have a figure - and it's not all that bad!  Basically they have regular shop sizes: 10, 12, 14 etc, but then they have additional subsizes: curvy, really curvy and super curvy.  For the first time in ages, I had a problem - there were a number of clothes that fitted me and I liked, I had trouble deciding what to get!  I also got remeasured for a bra and discovered the bra I was using was very much the wrong size.  Anyway, I left a happy girl, and now have a dress for Simon's wedding,  1 summery top which I will hopefully get to wear this year and two new bras - thank you to those who got me the vouchers - if anyone is ever struggling to think of a Christmas / birthday present for me then Pepperberry vouchers will make me very happy.  I am looking forward to visiting their Oxford Street shop next time I'm in London to see what else they do.

Reflective Tom

Once I had finished in the shop (in fact the shop closed whilst I was still in it) we looked around for something to eat and ended up in a Korean restaurant eating Japanese food (all the Korean food seemed to be hot)  We then returned to the hotel - Tom went to bed and we had a relaxing evening in the hotel lounge (we took Tom's monitor with us and it worked in the lounge which was fab).

Saturday didn't dawn particularly beautiful, so we decided to get ourselves some day rover tickets for the buses and look round the city.  First stop was the National Museum of Scotland, which was good.  There was a technology bit with lots of buttons to press - including some trains, and a natural history bit with lots of animals.  Once we all had rumbling tummies we headed out to find some lunch and ended up in a Japanese restaurant with a load of starters - edamame, gyoza, karage, agedashi tofu - basically all our favourites - yum, yum, yum.  Tom took a real liking to the edamame - hoovered up over half of them.  We then got the bus to the Royal Mile and nipped in to the Museum of Childhood - lots of display cabinets stuffed with old toys.

Tom in his sofa bed

Next stop was Ocean Terminal.  We thought it sounded interesting and it is home of The Royal Yacht Britannia, so it was bound to have something about it.  WRONG!  We got there and found a very formulaic shopping centre and cinema.  We were very, very disappointed, but at least we had a good ride on the double decker bus down there.  We had tea and a bun in the Debenham restaurant overlooking The Royal Yacht and then headed back to the hotel.  When we got back, we suggested to Tom that maybe he should have a rest before we headed back out for dinner.  He, to our amazement agreed, got into bed and fell asleep???!!!!  He hasn't done that since the day after we moved to Lupton!

As we had eaten nothing but Asian food since arriving in Edinburgh, we decided we should head out and find something a little more local, so did a quick search on the Good Pub Guide and found a good pub only 5 minutes away.  We headed over and found a great pub - but still nothing typically Scottish.  I ended up with falafel and Matt - bangers and mash.  Oh well - it was good food and a nice atmosphere.  We then headed back to the hotel for Tom to go to bed and for us to put our feet up in the lounge again - being brought tea, coffee, posh water and shortbread biscuits by the very attentive butlers.

Sunday we got up and headed to a local cafe we had read about on the web - set up for small children and their parents.  Got there to find it was closed on Sundays (poo! They need to update their website) so instead ended up in Caffe Nero.  We then looked round the local foody market before heading to The Botanical Gardens.  Typical - as soon as we got there it started to rain, we sheltered for a little while and then decided to brave it.  We were lucky, the weather cheered up and we had a good game of hide and seek in the gardens.  I took the chance to play with my new camera - in its close up mode (important for my cakes) and fish mode (yes - it has a fish mode and the gardens had a mini aquarium)

Purple Flower

Red Flower

We spent a pleasant time there and then strolled back to the hotel, picked up our bags and looked for lunch.  Guess where we ended up - yep - another Japanese restaurant - I guess we must miss the stuff.  I then popped back into Pepperberry to get another top - it was now or never and it was too good an opportunity to miss, especially with our forthcoming trip to Oz.

Then we were back at Waverley Station and on the train back home.  There was another little boy in the carriage with us.  It took a while, but eventually Tom got up the courage to play with him and they had a ball - making each other giggle.  The journey seemed to take no time at all.  Then back home, a quick dinner and bed - all of us tired and happy.

Thanks Matt, it was a lovely weekend.

Dry nights

So on Friday Tom woke up in a dry bed for the 3rd night in a row, what a clever boy.  His reward was a toy from the toy shop in Ingleton.  I took him in the morning.  WOW!!!!!  What a shop, I have never seen anything like it.  It's a bizarre place, we had to look around in a farmyard for the owner who then had to find the key to open it, turn the lights on etc.  OMG - I have never seen so many agricultural toys in one place ever - this beats every toyshop I've ever been to.  It was a little overwhelming for me and Tom.  However, Tom knew where to go as he had been previously with Matt.  He was originally wanting a hay baler for his jeep, then a feed wagon, but in the end he plumped for a John Deere tractor, and very happy he is with it too.

Grandparents, Uncles & Aunts - if you are needing ideas of toys to get Tom, then next time you are up here, take a look at this shop - it is a real Aladdin's cave, and the prices are very reasonable.

40

Angus

It happened, I couldn't stop it!  I turned 40!  Can't say I've been looking forward to it - in fact I've been quite depressed about it - don't feel ready to be this old (in my heart I'm still twenty something).  It hasn't helped that I discovered how much I weighed last month, and the fact that I'm always looking scruffy - I don't seem to fit in any high street clothes anymore - my chest grew significantly after having Tom and didn't shrink back (as I was told it would!)  This means that I have to buy clothes 2 or 3 sizes too big to get into them - and sometimes even that doesn't work.  I'm not one for fashion, but it is nice to look good from time to time.  So all of this had been making me down in the dumps.

However, I weighed myself on Wednesday and found that I had lost 8lbs in the last month (diet is obviously working) which cheered me up.  Then on Thursday I was very spoilt, with some beautiful presents and a lazy lunch with my hubby in our favourite Italian.

Do you like the new addition to the family?  This is Angus the Highland Moo - yet another brown wooly creature to fill the house, but he's gorgeous - we already ALL love him.  I got lots of nice messages from friends on Facebook too, so all in all it wasn't a bad day - and anyway plenty of my friends are turning 40 as well in this and the next couple of years AND Matt's been 40 for ages and he's still young at heart, so I guess it can't be that bad!

Thank you everyone for your pressies and messages, they really perked me up x

The Langdales

The first of many Herdy photos

Today, the weather man promised us good weather, so we decided to head across to the Lake District for a day out at the Langdales.  We left a very gloomy Ingleton first thing and headed West.  First stop was Windermere for a quick trip to Lakeland (had to exchange a baking tray I bought a while ago - it was too wide for my oven).  Then we went to Ambleside where I visited Gaynor Sports (the biggest outdoor shop in the UK) to buy some sturdy trainers (my current pair have recently fallen apart, meaning that if it rains I get wet feet).  I managed to get a pair of half price Mammuts so was happy.  We then stopped off at a bakery to get some sandwiches for a picnic.

We then headed off to the Langdales and parked at Stickle Ghyll car park ready for our 5 mile walk to Blea Tarn and back.  The clouds were still down over the mountains, but we set off optimistic that we would get some sun at some stage.  We took the high track along the valley.  It was very rocky and muddy, but Tom took it in his stride and did really well.

This part of the Lake District is full of Herdwick Sheep, known as Herdys (almost a symbol of the Lake District).  We have quite a liking towards them, Matt had his camera out and took many photos - especially as it is lambing season - there were lots of little ones around.  Tom also likes Herdys - he shouts HERDY at the top of his voice every time he sees one, he didn't tire of this today, even though he saw hundreds of them.

Herdy Lamb

Picnic in the clouds

After an hour, all of us had growling tummies (it was 1pm) so we stopped for lunch.  We were still surrounded by thick clouds, but we did get a couple of glimpses of blue sky so were ever hopeful that the sun would come out.

Stunning scenery in the sunshine

We then headed across the valley and along a zigzag track up a steep hill.  It was quite a gradient, but Tom really didn't seem to notice it at all - he chatted the whole way up it without stopping!!!!  We both reckon he is the fittest member of the family (I was certainly huffing and puffing!)  We walked across the top and down into the next valley to Blea Tarn where we spent a good hour sat on a stony shore, throwing rocks into the water (when I say 'we' - I mean Matt and Tom - I just sat and watched!)

During this time, the thick clouds disappeared and at last we saw the sun - and glorious it was too.  The Lake District really is very beautiful.  We happily strolled back to the car, stopping to drink in the views - there were a lot of walkers out enjoying the scenery and sunshine.  We took the low track back to the car park and then sat in the sun outside the pub next door (a National Trust pub) having a drink and enjoying more spectacular views before driving back home.







Tom was asleep in the back of the car within 5 minutes, slept almost all the way home and woke up happy which is unusual for him.  We got home after 6pm (very late for us) so I quickly rustled up a dinner of burgers (we were going to have a BBQ sometime over the weekend, but today was the only BBQ day and we stayed out playing far too long for it).

Then bath and bed.  A lovely day.

PS - Tom didn't manage a dry night last night - he woke up wet at 6.30am.  Such a shame, but we will see how he goes tonight.  He seems determined to do it (he wants a hay baler)

And yet more wonderful scenery

Water Baby

First of all, Tom woke up in a dry bed this morning - what a clever boy.  Matt woke him up when we went to bed and got him to do a wee, and then he went through to 8am with no accident - using his potty in his room.  We were so proud of him.  Once he gets this sorted, we then have to work out how to get him to use the bathroom rather than his potty, but we are so happy.

We woke to a horrible, dull, grey, rainy day.  I believe the rest of the country is bathed in sunshine, we haven't seen it yet.  It was a perfect day for swimming especially as Tom doesn't have his lesson tomorrow.  We thought we would try out Settle Pool as that is where Tom has his lessons, meaning he could show us what he has learnt.  It was a great idea, the water in the pool was really warm, the hottest in the area by some way.  Tom happily showed us what he's been up to.  He has grown significantly in confidence.  He wasn't just jumping in the pool - he was leaping in.  He willingly put his head under the water, many times.  He swam happily with his armbands and then was open to the suggestion to take them off and try a woggle instead.  He got the hang of the woggle after a couple of attempts and then swam widths with it.  We were amazed and delighted.  At one point, he tried to swim by himself with no aids, I let him, but his mouth went under the water and he got upset (although he did manage to propel himself).  He soon calmed down and was back jumping, leaping, dipping his head, swimming with aids etc.  A fantastic session, and the pool was really busy, but that didn't seem to faze him at all.

We stopped for lunch at The Watershed Mill, Hornby starter railway sets were on special offer and this time Matt couldn't resist, so it has started!  Tom doesn't know anything about it yet though, we are going to hold it back for either a treat or Christmas (depends how long Matt can go without getting it out)!

Scarecrows

Cupcakes ready for consultation

We had a busy day today.  I had a wedding consultation this morning.  This was for cupcakes for a gluten free & lactose free bride.  She had requested autumn themed toffee apple cupcakes so I had spent quite a bit of time on r&d as this isn't my specialism.  I learnt what to do to get good gluten free cupcakes and also spent a while working out how to spin sugar, to caramelise apples and make buttercream made with Pure (dairy free marg) taste vaguely nice.  It was a success as they went away having ordered all gluten free & lactose free cupcakes and buttercream.  Just need to write down what I did now so I don't forget - their wedding isn't until November!

Signal Man Tom

As I was rushing around finishing off the cupcakes, Matt took Tom to Settle Station where, every Saturday they open up the old signal box for viewing.  I guess by the photo you can see that Tom enjoyed himself.  He had to undertake a test and came home with a certificate stating that he performed satisfactorily as a signal man - not bad work for a Saturday morning.

They then went to visit the big toy shop in Ingleton.  I had been told by another mother that it is really good - full of Bruder toys.  Apparently it is amazing.  It's a strange place, run by a strange person (it always looks closed from the outside which is why we have never been in it) but it is a boy's delight.  Tom has been getting better and better with his wee at night time, he's using his potty more and more and his nappy has been getting lighter and lighter, so we are thinking that this is the time to try and get him nappy free.  We've told him that if he manages 3 nights dry without a nappy he can choose a toy from the shop - he has gone to bed tonight nappy free.  I wonder what will happen...

Trip, trip, trap - where's the troll??

Matt and Tom arrived back just after my couple left.  We decided to head out to Wray and the Scarecrow Festival which I had heard about.  We had lunch on the way at the Bridge Inn in Tatham - which was a real find, a very welcoming landlady and very good food at very good prices (we won't be having dinner tonight).  Tom as usual got the best lunch (a mixture of the two) and ate a ridiculous amount.

Scarecrows

We then headed to the festival and were really really impressed.  The WHOLE village had got behind it, nearly every garden had a scarecrow of some sorts in it.  There were ones of every variety: Mrs Thatcher, George and the Dragon, Humpty Dumpty a brilliant Call the Midwife scene including a flying stork, a gruffalo, Peter Rabbit, lots of '50 Shades of Wray' themed ones, a Hobbit & Gollum, witches, Harry Potter, the Owl and the Pussy Cat, a helicopter pilot - there were literally hundreds of them and we spent a good number of hours strolling around the village looking at them all - and what a lovely village it is too - full of cottages, not a shabby house in sight.  It was a very pleasant afternoon - we walked a fair way as we went down every street, into every close, along every footpath.  As part of the festival we had to vote for what we thought were the 3 best - it was an impossible task.

Looking at the programme we actually did this on the worse day - all through the week there have been extra events, there is a vintage fair there tomorrow and the village fair on Monday.  Next year we will go on one of these days and spend the whole day there, it was certainly very good.  I understand now what Ingleton aspires for with the Easter Egg Hunt - it has a long way to go to get this good.

Weekend with Michael

We had a mixture of weather last weekend.  Saturday it was lovely and sunny and Sunday it was really really horrible, low cloud and drizzly rain - yuck.  

Spot the viaduct!   

Michael came up on Friday night for the weekend.  Saturday saw him and Matt doing a walk along Barbondale, whilst Tom and I had a quiet day in Ingleton and playing cricket in Kirkby Lonsdale.  We then met the walkers in the pub in Barbon and returned home.  We then went for a quick drink in the Wheatsheaf before dinner. 

Barbon Church

Sunday we hung around the village - ie had coffee in Neptis, made homemade pizzas for lunch and then headed to Thornton in Lonsdale for the PTA 5km fun run that Matt had entered.  He entered it to make sure that he trained and worked hard to get into a position of fitness, but he had sort of regretted it as he re-discovered how much he hates running!  Before the run he got very very nervous, neither Michael or me dared speak to him.

However, he lined up and ran off.  The route went past the church (our waiting place) twice, he did really well, he was in 8th place the first time we saw him and then came home in 10th place.  (Michael, Tom and I counted him in as 10th, but the school counted him in as 8th???!)  Anyway he did really well and he was rightly very chuffed with himself.

We then took Michael back to Oxenholme for his train home.  Although we had Michael with us the whole weekend, we didn't seem to take any photos of him - shame really, especially as Michael and Tom get on so well.  Must try harder next time...

A day at the seaside

Cricket or baseball?

Saturday dawned bright and clear, definitely a day for going out.  We asked Tom what he wanted to do   - he requested a bike ride in Morecambe so we planned an itinerary for the day: 1) Cricket at Hess Bank whilst watching the trains, 2) Lunch at Archers Cafe in Bolton-Le-Sands as recommended by Paul of Enjoy-a-Ball, 3) Bike ride on Morecambe Prom.

So, that is what we did.  We had a really good session of cricket and actually managed to get Tom to do some runs when he hit the ball (about 20% of the time).  His biggest problem was that he would only hold the bat with one hand, and then he would miss the ball.  It took some time, but he gradually got the hang of keeping hold of it with two hands.  Of course this was interrupted every time the level crossing went down when we had to stop everything and wait for and watch the train.

Is this the best way to play tennis?

We also played a bit of velcro tennis - this didn't go as well.  He would hold up his velcro catcher, but then close his eyes as we would throw the ball towards him - this meant of course that he couldn't see where the ball was going and couldn't re-adjust the catcher so it would be in the path of the ball.  It meant that our throwing had to be spot on - but that isn't the point is it?  Oh well, hopefully he'll learn - he did get bopped on the head with the ball a couple of times because his eyes were shut!

We all suddenly realised that our tummies were rumbling, so decided to go and find a cafe that Paul had told us about - on the beach in Bolton-Le-Sands.  Matt didn't know of this or where it was so we were pleasantly surprised to find it in a lovely location on the beach.  It was a good cafe in a farm caravan site and the food very good quality - will definitely be back again.  We figured that it would be a nice walk from Hess Bank to this cafe, so that's a plan for another day.

Suitably full of food we headed to Morecambe.  We found a free car parking space quite a way out and got out Tom's bike for a ride.  The plan was to ride to the stone jetty and back (Matt still hasn't been there when it's been open)  I thought it would be too far away, but I was proved wrong.  Tom was as happy as Larry on his bike and as long as we stopped for rests on the way he was fine.  So we visited every play ground and had photos taken with Eric (compulsory these days) - we think Tom will like Eric's humour - must look for a Christmas special this year for him to watch.

Tom insisted on this pic

We got to the Stone Jetty in no time at all, the boys shared an evil looking Millionaire's Shortbread as a reward.  We then headed back to the car - Matt and Tom raced each other all the way back - once again having plenty of rest stops on the way.  I was surprised and very pleased how well Tom did (remember the horrific episode I had with him last year where he suddenly refused to move and I had to carry him and wheel 2 bikes back to the car!).  Matt did really well too (I just power walked the whole way)

Ingleborough from the Stone Jetty

Anyway it was one of those magical days - beautiful day - we could see for ever, all the Lake District mountains were visible from Morecambe Bay, we could also see Ingleborough which was looking quite magnificent.  Everyone was on great form, in a good mood and we had a lovely day.  Such a shame the weather took a turn for the worse on Sunday!

Yep, Sunday dawned cloudy and grey.  We decided to go to White Scar Caves as Matt had heard that if you are local and go once, they then let you in again through the year free of charge.  We turned up, paid our money and then found out that it wasn't true - no resident discount here.  Oh well, we had a good time, Tom enjoyed it and we got some exercise - it is the longest show cave in the UK.  Only thing I would say though was maybe it is too long as I did feel like I was being hurried the whole time and didn't really get time to take it in and enjoy it at leisure.  The group was so big that we missed a whole load of features - people were supposed to pass on messages down the line, but that wasn't happening.  Oh hum.

We decided to have lunch at The Sportsman - a pub we have passed on the way to Dent (in the middle of no-where) on a number of occasions.  We satisfied our curiosity: it was an average pub, with some local characters and great accents going on.  Food was ok, but not spectacular.  As we were nearby, we then went for a look at Dent Station (the highest mainline station in England).  When I say we, I mean 'they boys', I was cold and decided to stay in the car where it was warm - outside was raining and miserable.  The boys were happy though and managed to see a stopping train which was good going as  there were only 3 scheduled for the day.

That's it for the weekend.  Oh, we have some news: we've finally booked our tickets to Australia - so are heading out on the 23rd June and returning on 20th July - exciting stuff.  I also weighed myself this week and was horrified by what I found out, I knew I had put some weight on but had no idea it was so bad, so I am now on a strict diet using Slimming World which is what I did last time to shift weight (pre-Tom), fingers crossed it works and the weight comes off - let's hope I get good results in the first 2 months.  Now the clocks have gone back and we are beginning to get some nice days we are taking it in turns to go for evening walks - this should also help.

First Swimming Lesson

We have managed to get Tom into swimming lessons at our local pool in Settle.  I was a little trepadacious as he had to go in the pool by himself with no armbands, with me watching from behind glass.

He did it!  Not only did he go in, but he enjoyed it - he was jumping up and down in delight and waving happily at me.  HUGE relief, that is the first time he has done an activity for the first time and not cried / clung etc etc.  I guess my little boy is growing up.

Now all he needs to do is listen to the teacher and be brave enough to do what she says, rather than hanging onto the railings...

Leia comes to stay

Two explorers

Saturday morning we had a useful morning: the boys went to Settle to get rid of some more junk at the tip, buy beer and sort out swimming (Tom's got to the top of the waiting list for swimming lessons and starts on Monday) whilst I cleaned and tidied the house.  Matt then took a whole load of stuff to the jumble sale, meaning that we got to see the garage floor again - we are almost in the position where we can get a chest freezer - yahoooo.

At lunchtime we were invaded by the Komorovskis.  All 4 of them had made it to us - to experience some country living (they live in very urban Salford).  We rushed lunch down them and then headed up to Ribblehead to do our little circuit walk (with Rosa in Tom's old backpack).  Everyone did well, but unfortunately bad weather found us 30 minutes before the end and poor Rosa lost her patience and made her feelings known.

Break from stone throwing

We headed back home to give Rosa a break and head out of the bad weather.  Tom and Leia had a sleep over together in Tom's room.  We weren't sure how it would go as apparently Leia has a bad record with previous sleep overs.  She was given a good talking to by Adam and Karen and we also pointed out the fact we could hear everything that was going on via the baby monitor.  All this obviously worked as we didn't hear a peep from them.  In fact they were really quiet in the morning too.  Rosa also slept very well, so it was a good night for everyone.

How deep is this puddle?

Sunday was a pretty miserable day.  Leia, Tom, Adam and Matt went to play football on the all weather pitch whilst Karen sorted out Rosa and prepped Sunday dinner.  We then went out in the driving rain (Adam and Leia under protest) for coffee at Neptis.

Funny, as soon as we got there Leia and Adam had a good time - in fact Leia didn't want to leave - it is such a great place for little ones to go to.

By now the rain had stopped so we went home via the park to give the little ones another chance for a play.

We then headed home for a slap up roast meal (even if I do say so myself) - although the smoke alarm kept going off for no reason at all - it was absolutely deafening, made our ears ring.  Little Rosa slept through it all - how do they do it?

The Komorovskis then headed home and we went for another walk around the village - exploring paths we have seen but not been down yet.  Didn't find anything that exciting, but it was nice to try to walk off lunch without going too far.  

Then a lazy evening and early to bed.

A motley crowd

Visit to Devon

Thursday

So, the Thursday after Easter Monday we packed the car and headed down to Devon for a very overdue visit.  We hadn't been looking forward to the trip, thinking it would be very very long and dull, but we were pleasantly surprised.  We were only 2 counties off driving the whole length of England and it really didn't take that long, made us realise just how small a country this is.

We set off at 9 to miss all the commuting traffic on the motorways and arrived at our halfway point in Worcester at 11.30.  We had found a country park just off the motorway which has an adventure playground a very good cafe and woodland trails.  The weather wasn't great, but we didn't really mind and made the best of it.  After a 2 hour break we got back in the car and headed to Crapstone. It took another 2.5 hours.  Believably or not, Tom didn't sleep a wink.  We were playing a spotting game - spot the Asda truck, spot the Land Rover, spot the digger on the trailer etc etc.  Tom loved playing it, he kept changing the rules so he could win all the time, but that didn't matter, he was happy, so we were happy.  It really didn't feel like we had been flogging on the roads all day when we arrived in Crapstone.

Tom was happy to arrive though - he stayed up until around 8.30 playing - that's very late for him, but you couldn't blame him, he had been couped up in a car for a long time AND he was at Granma and Pop Pop's.  It was obvious that he couldn't remember the house so he had the whole of it to re-explore.

Friday

Train Driver

Tucking into lunch

Matt stayed in Crapstone to work, so Tom and I went out to play with Granma and Pop Pop.  They took us to the park and ride and then we rode on the top deck of a Double Decker into Plymouth (very exciting stuff). We then walked along the coast road stopping at various places on the way - including a park and a cafe by the sea for lunch.  It was a really lovely day - Tom was on good form and I think Granma and Pop Pop enjoyed themselves.  We didn't get back until late afternoon.

Saturday

Saturday dawned bright, it was a beautiful day with a slight hint of warmth.  As we had worn out the grandparents yesterday - Matt and I took Tom out by ourselves.  We headed over to Wembury which is on the coast and has rocks and a little beach to explore.  However, when we got there we noticed on the map there was a little pedestrian ferry not too far away which could potentially take us to a pub for lunch.  So we armed Tom with his stick and headed that way.

Country boy paddling 

As I said, it really was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky AND we didn't wear our coats for the whole day which was a first for the year.  We enjoyed the coastal path, watching the view change as we went along.  We then found a sign to the ferry and decided to risk it and hope it was working - it was.  Fantastic, the ferry man waited for us and then took us to Newton Ferrers where there was a pub.  This is a very monied area - the houses were huge and very expensive looking.  The village had a sleepy, French feeling to it - lots of white washed cottages and not very many people around.  We found the pub and decided to sit outside as it was so lovely.  It was at this point that Tom discovered some cuts on his wrist.  He fell over as we went down the hill to the ferry.  At the time he was fine, but as soon as he found the cuts that was it - he went all sulky and moody.  In the end I bought some 'magic cream' from the co-op to rub in and some special sweeties for good boys which seemed to do the trick.

A rare photo of the three of us

Once finished at the pub we walked back towards the ferry along the coastal path (there was an option to walk around the bay  to Noss Mayo but we felt the walk was just that little bit too far for Tom).  We walked past some absolutely beautiful cottages.  The very nice ferry man saw us and ferried us back across the inlet to our original coastal path and we strolled back to the car.  Such a beautiful day and believe it or not, we all got a suntan.  Didn't get home until very late afternoon with a very sleepy boy in the back.

Sunday

Stalking tigers

After watching the film 'We Bought A Zoo' and discovering it was based on a zoo in Devon we decided we had to go and see the real thing.  This we did on Sunday.  The weather wasn't particularly nice - cold, misty and damp, but that doesn't really matter when you are in a zoo.  It wasn't particularly big but there were plenty of big cats, which is always a bonus with us.  There were 3 tiger siblings in one enclosure who were up and playing - think we watched them for a good half hour or so.  Also Soverign the Jaguar was good value too - he's the one who is always trying to escape and you could see him checking out any possible escape routes.  There were also 2 bears: Hayley and Fudge who were up and playing around.

Tom took it all in and enjoyed himself.  We retreated for lunch at the cafe - to get warm as well as for lunch - it really was a horrible day.  We then did one last circuit of the cats before heading back to Crapstone across the moor.  Tom fell asleep immediately - it's been a busy couple of days for him.

Sunday evening Matt and I had a Japanese meal out by ourselves (first time in ages).  We booked (just in case) and found we were the only people in the restaurant - typical!  Oh well the food was very good - we were in heaven - although in his excitement, Matt booked us a table in the Japanese room - so by the end of the evening we were crippled!!!  Unfortunately when we got home, we found that Tom had been up a number of times.  Poor Dad had been up and down the stairs to sort him out.  He's never done that before, but of course he is understanding more and more these days and probably got worried about us being out.  He was fine when we got back, but I felt bad for Mum and Dad.

Monday

Running through the yard

Smiling boy

Monday, Mum and Dad wanted to play with Tom again, so we left Matt at home working and drove down to Plymouth and the old naval yard - Royal William Yard which is being gentrified.  We went to their favourite coffee shop - Seco.  Tom once again was well behaved and sat nicely between his two grandparents whilst he worked his way through a Thomas activity book.  We then went for a walk around the yard - it has a River Cottage Restaurant, about to have a Wagamamas, and a number of posh boutique shops (the sort that I am always afraid of entering).  Then back to Crapstone for lunch.  Tom and I then ran some errands for Mum in the afternoon - which included a 2 hour sleep in the car for Tom! (Not sure that was on the list)

Tuesday
Our last day in Devon.  We left Mum and Dad at home again and decided to check out the newly opened Tamar Trails just the other side of Tavistock. This is an area with loads of walks around the hills, taking in the industrial past of the area - arsenic mining etc.  Once again it wasn't great weather, but it was nice to be outside and stretching our legs.  There was a go-ape type thing there which looked really really good - Tom will have to wait another 10 years before he can have a go.  We walked to a point and then returned to the start and the cafe for lunch.  Lunch was good when we got it - but the girls working there really didn't have the first idea on how to run a cafe - I switched right back into my contract catering mode again.  Anyhow, we didn't starve and the food was good when we got it.  We then went for another stroll - said hello to some horses before heading back to Crapstone.

Guess what was for dinner tonight: take away curry - Tom was very happy - and put a mountain of it away.

Wednesday
We returned back home.  We did the exact reversed of our inward journey, stopping off at the country park in Worcester and it took us exactly the same amount of time - couldn't have asked for better.  One vaguely interesting thing that happened on the way back was when I was driving.  I was in the outside lane and a car came up behind me - he was too close to me so at the first chance I pulled over to let him pass - I didn't think too much of it as it does happen from time to time - I prefer to get out of the way of these drivers as soon as possible as they are an accident waiting to happen.  As I pulled over an unmarked police car put on his lights and siren and pulled him over.  I had a smug grin on my face and saw it as pay back for the road rage I suffered a couple of weeks ago - it's nice to know the police are out there checking for bad driving on the motorway.

Thanks Granma and Pop Pop for looking after us so well, we really enjoyed ourselves.

Waterfalls trail

A mini boy, a mini walking stick and a mini waterfall

Easter Monday was another sunny day.  We decided to take advantage of the weather, our location, and the fact we get in free to do the famous Ingleton Waterfalls Walk.  I have done half of it previously with Michael and Nicole when Tom was a baby (he was in the rucksack).

Snow Falls

It was a beautiful walk, with a bit of everything: rivers, waterfalls, forest, rocks, pebble beaches, moor land etc.  We all really enjoyed ourselves.  We did the walk back to front - the first half of it was full of waterfalls and beaches, meaning we stopped regularly for the compulsory throwing in of rocks that we have to do when we are near a river.  We then reached the top of the first river and entered into moor land, we were in sunshine, but unfortunately it was very windy and Tom started to cry.  It took quite a while to calm him down - luckily there was a kiosk at the top which sold sweets.  We bought some and every time Tom started to cry because of the wind we would give him a sweet (he can't eat a sweet and cry at the same time!)  Once we were out of the wind it was lovely, the sun was shining and we actually felt warm.

Thornton Force

We reached the second river and soon came across Thornton Force (the main waterfall) and sat down to our picnic in the sun before heading on back towards Ingleton.  It wasn't an easy walk by any stretch of the imagination, lots of ups and downs, rocks to clamber over, tree roots sticking out, snow and ice, mud, steep steps etc, but Tom took it all in his stride and didn't complain (except when a dog not on a lead came into view).  4.5 miles later we reached the entrance to the walk and decided to reward Tom with tea and a bun.  We sat outside - lo and behold there was a little girl there from his pre-school so he went running round the little adventure playground there with her.  He told us quite sincerely that he wasn't at all tired!

We then headed home.  Once we arrived home, he demanded a game of football in the garden!!!!!!  I really need his stamina.  We rounded off the day with dinner at The Wheatsheaf.  Tom went straight to bed and we weren't far behind him - tired and happy, a lovely day out in wonderful scenery.  Can't wait to do it again and can't quite believe our luck that we don't have to pay for the privilege of enjoying it.

The cousins

Eye on the ball

It was Easter this weekend and we were treated to a visit from Simon, Clare & co.  It took them 6 hours to get up here - due mainly to bank holiday hold-ups on the motorway, but they were in good spirits when they arrived and apparently the kids were very well behaved.

After a drink we took them for a walk around the village including a session at the park so they could stretch their legs.  The children got on straight away, no shyness, no violence, it was as if they see each other all the time (last time they saw each other was Jake's birthday a year ago!)  It was great to see them so relaxed and playing so nicely with each other.

After bumping into Rachael, we headed into a pub for a drink before heading home for dinner.

3 cousins

We had decided that this time Tom and Jake could sleep in the same room.  Tom has slept with visitors before, so we knew he could do it and we were amazed again at how easy it was - they only needed one talking too and before we knew it, they were asleep.

Two loonies in a puddle during the Ribblehead walk

They did wake up at 6.30 the following morning, way earlier than we are used to, but then we are very lucky to have a boy who likes his bed and is content to lie in it until we get him up.  Tom and Jake were both bursting with energy at 6.30 so we let them run around.  Amber joined in the fun, so before we new it we started the day.

Clare was wanting to see a lake whilst she was up, so we headed up to the Lake District and Fell Foot Park - just about the only place on the Lake that is easy to access.

We got stuck in playing football, cricket, tennis and then a good play in the adventure play area, followed by the christening of one of Tom's new kites.

I had bought picnic food, but it was a little too cold unfortunately, I think this Easter was recorded as the coldest Easter since records began.  It was ok in the sun and out of the wind, but as soon as you lost one of those it was very cold - as you can see everyone was wrapped up warm.  So we ended up in the cafe instead eating soup and sausage sandwiches, trying to warm up.

Baaaaa

Boy and a bridge

By now Amber was getting a little tetchy - she was clearly tired, so we decided to go back to the car to give her a chance to fall asleep.  the boys were playing so well with each other now, that we put them in the same car with Matt and Simon, whilst Amber travelled with us.  She was a sleep in no time.  She was still asleep when we arrived at our next point - Ribblehead.  The plan was to do the 2 mile walk around the bridge, but Amber wasn't up for walking, and even when she was in her buggy she wasn't too happy, so she, Clare & I called it a day and went to sit in the pub whilst the boys did the walk.  Sounds like they had a good time, and Amber was pretty well behaved in the pub with me and Clare.

We all returned home, we had make your own pizzas for dinner.  I thought this would be a good idea in that everyone gets to choose what goes on their pizza and therefore will eat it without any trouble.  It didn't quite work out like that - Jake after being on the go all day and eating a rubbish lunch then decided that he didn't like his pizza - it lead to a stressful dinner.  We all felt sorry - it is so difficult when your child is playing up in someone else's house - it is so hard to discipline them - Jake just wasn't having it - I don't know where he gets his energy from.

Jake

Sunday we decided to do the egg hunt in Ingleton - the one I've been helping with.  I was a little nervous that it wouldn't work, considering it was done so quickly, but we had a great time.  Jake got into it very quickly and was very excited each time he found an egg, shouting out the letter on it.  Tom soon cottoned on which meant we then had two excited boys (Amber wasn't that interested).  It was in fact very educational for Tom as he learnt more capital letters throughout the morning.  Tom and Jake were soon looking everywhere for eggs, (Jake was disappointed that there wasn't one stuck inside the helter skelter slide - one to think of next year!)  There were eggs literally everywhere in the village and the hunt worked really well.  The boys could quite happily have gone on doing it for hours and hours and we got to see bits of the village that we haven't yet visited.  We rounded off the morning with a visit to Neptis.  Tom and Jake had hot chocolates (I'm in trouble with Simon and co as I introduced Jake to hot chocolate and he likes it) and then they all played with toys or did some drawing.


We then headed home and had roast for dinner before saying goodbye.

Amber

I was quite surprised at how well the children got on.  There weren't any tears from them because of each other (only from falling over etc etc).  Tom and Jake were like old friends.  Amber has some spirit to her (she needs it with an older brother!) but she was good fun and even favoured me from time to time for helping her do things.  She's definitely a Daddy's girl, she cries and cries

if he's in the room and she's not allowed to be with him - I remember Tom doing the same to me!  She's talking really well too - whole sentences (I always find it strange when 1 or 2 year olds speak as Tom didn't).  Anyway, it was a good weekend.  Let's hope they remain friends now.