Chocolate Day

Excited!

Today was an exciting day for me - we went to the Lindt Museum - Home of Chocolate.  What's not to like?  Lindt isn't my favourite chocolate, but we were sure that the museum would be good being Swiss and if I could learn anything or be inspired it could only be good!  

The World's tallest chocolate fountain

We were up early, had breakfast, checked out, left our luggage at the hotel and headed to the train station to Kilchberg and then followed the signs to the museum.  We were greated by a huge chocolate fondue in the foyer.  We were early (surprisingly I know) and were told to hang around so we went into the shop for a look around.  We got talking to one of the ladies - Matt told her about my chocolate business and she was really interested, so much so that she wanted my details - so I gave her my card.  She gave me some of their chocolate orange slab to try out which was very nice.  They personalise slabs in the shop and their piping is amazing - something I would like to be able to do, but it takes a lot of practise.  Something the lady confirmed.  

At 10.30 our tickets were valid so we went up to the museum.  We had an audio guide which worked well.  Learned all about the history of chocolate - with the Aztecs (they used to Baptise their children by coating them in chocolate), Europeans (apparently only men could access chocolate houses when it first arrived in Europe - typical!) and then the story of how chocolate as we know it now was made.  It took a lot of trial and error and collaboration between lots of intelligent men before the process was worked out and industrialised.  It was really well set out, with lots of info, interesting displays.  The actual process of getting chocolate from a cocoa bean is so complicated, I don't think I would ever have the patience to do bean to bar chocolate which lots of artisans do.  

Chocolate fountains  - eat as much as you wish!

Just as we were beginning to get weary, we came across 3 chocolate fountains to sample (dark, milk and white).  We got a spoon each and could help ourselves to as much of the fountains as we wished.  The dark was to die for, Matt loved the milk and white and Tom the milk.  We then learnt about the tempering process and then how they treat the chocolate and moulds to make their chocolates.  Considering I have worked out my process by trial and error - I am very very close to how they do theirs.  The only difference is that they heat up their moulds before pouring the chocolate in (I don't as if I do that the chocolate doesn't set properly).  However, the ambient temperature in their factory is probably much cooler than my kitchen.  Everything else was the same, pouring it in, vibrating it to help it fill the mould and then chilling it to help it set before giving it a good hard slap to get it out of the mould.  I was left feeling like I am doing it right!

After this section there were a couple of machines full of slabs of chocolate where you put your hand underneath and a piece of chocolate was smashed and dropped into your hands.  You then had to guess the flavour.  There was chocolate orange (my fav), sea salt and caramel (didn't like this one), plain and extra bitter.  Think I went back to the orange one 3 times.  So much fun to do.

Sample as many as you like

Then there was an area where you could learn about who consumes the most chocolate: Germany was Number 1, UK Number 6 and Switzerland Number 2, couldn't get Belgian up, but reckon they would be number 2.  We then ended up in a tasting room where we could try 8 different Lindt balls.  As I said before it isn't my favourite chocolate, but when in Switzerland...I think I tried about 4.  My favourite was the strawberry one.  Some visitors were taking the mick and stuffing them in their bags - even when they were told not to - AND they weren't English which is a nice change!

We then saw a bit of the production line where some squares were being made, which ended with a giant marble run, where you could scan your ticket and get some chocolate come down to you in a huge golden ball.  The queue for this was quite long, and by then we had had quite a bit of chocolate, so decided to give it a miss.  

Then to the shop, we bought a couple of the flavoured balls to try out later - seemed rude not to.

Lunchtime pretzel

Our hotel!  It's called Chalet Swiss!!

We then got the train back to Zurich central, walked to the hotel, got our luggage, bought some lunch pretzels and found the train to Bern and then Interlaken.  The train to Interlaken was really good - the mountains finally came into view - we 

hugged the coast of Lake Thun and finally saw snow capped mountains.  We found our hotel Swiss Chalet which is exactly as billed.  Our hotel room has an upstairs - so Matt and I are upstairs and Tom downstairs - how cool is that.   

We had showers and our usual downtime rest in the afternoon before heading out to Interlaken.  Now, I think I was about 13 when I came here with Mum and Dad, we camped (I think on the shores of the lake).  On walking through Interlaken I had absolutely no recall at all.  Matt is the same he came here when he was about 13, but he didn't recall anything either.  We aren't sure if that is because the place has changed a lot or whether we just can't remember things from that far back!

ICE with Jungfrau in the background

  So, we walked down the touristy street, looked in the shops (founds some patches, but none to do with Interlaken!) didn't buy anything other than a sticker for the suitcase.  We then carried on in the search for tea.  We came across a street which only sold curries (there are a lot of visitors from the Middle East here), we can have curry at home, so we did a quick search and Matt found a pub, Husi Bier Haus, which was down a back street and sounded interesting.  We found it, it had a great vibe and a special menu for Wednesdays where you can have a filled schnitzel and chips with a free beer - yay, both Matt and I indulged.  Tom went for curry wurst.  Guess who's dinner was biggest - yep, Tom received 2 huge curry wursts, loads of sauce, a pile of chips and no salad - much to his satisfaction - only sprite for a drink though tonight!

Covered bridge and Jungfrau

We all cheered up after a good feed, and decided to walk the long way home across the glacial river.  It was very pleasant, we got a good view of the Jungfrau and the Mönche and enjoyed looking at the beautiful chalets alongside the river, so many lovely properties, I wonder how much they cost?  We planned to pop to the Co-op on the way home so Tom could have pudding, but it was closed - at 8.30pm, just as well we still had some Belgian chocolates and of course our chocolates from this morning on us!

Another good day.

Zurich

We slept pretty well last night - why does a day travelling on the train tire you out so much?

Got on line to check that there were still plenty of tickets available for the chocolate museum - they were all sold out - strange as they weren't a couple of days ago - oh hum. We decided to all go tomorrow morning - so I booked 3 tickets for 10.30 tomorrow morning.  This means that today we could have a slow day with no trains - much needed after yesterday.

We had breakfast - which was your typical continental breakfast: bread, ham, cheese & eggs, I do enjoy a continental and tucked right in - probably ate too much.  We then headed down to the station to sort out our tickets.  It was a beautiful day - blue sky and sunny, forecasted to reach 27 degrees.

Zurich is a handsome city, lots of old buildings, cobbled streets, churches with huge spires, a river going through it which empties into a lake.  You get the feeling of wealth about the place: lots of expensive cars driving around, and lots of people obviously well coiffured and wearing designer labels.  We headed towards Bahnhofstrasse which was described as the nice old town full of boutiques and worth a stroll.  First of all, though we came across a Mammut Store where Matt couldn't help himself and bought a T-Shirt from the sale rail and was very happy.  We then saw a store with lots of soft toys, we went in, it was amazing!  Loads of soft toys (all with notices saying not to touch - such kill joys!, then upstairs, was every board game you have ever seen, huge shelves of jigsaws, including one which had 42,000 pieces and needed a table 7.5 meters long by 2 meters wide - wowzers.  The box it came in was ginormous.  We decided to leave it.  However, we got some Swiss Top Trumps to play on our train trips, Tom bought himself a rather complicated Rubik's cube (a decahedron).  We pulled ourselves away from the shop - Tom decided to take the slide down to the ground floor, Matt and I were too shy!  What a brilliant shop!  We also found a Victorinox shop and went in.  Loads of Swiss army knives and at very reasonable prices - they still engrave them too - I thought Tom might be interested in one but no.  Reminds me that I had one which I was very proud of - not sure where it is now?  (Any ideas Mum & Dad?)

We then found Bahnhofstrasse but the shops were all too designer for us (wep played find the highest price tag - the winner was CHF38,000 for a Rolex!), and the people walking on the street too orange, so we diverted off and found ourselves in the old town, much more interesting.  By complete accident we got ourselves to Lidenhof - which is a view point from the old town over the (very green) river Limmat, there was a Roman Fort there once upon a time, but nothing left there now.  It was a pleasant place to view the city from, bit of a breeze too. We then headed back to the old town and got lost wondering the narrow, cobbled streets.  I found a kitchen shop, got excited, but no chocolate moulds in it - shame!  We found St Peter's Church which has the largest clock face in Europe and under it a very well disguised Lidl where we popped in to find some lunch - we got a salad and a bottle of pop each and headed down to Bürkliplatz by the edge of Zürichsee where we found a bench under the trees to eat.  

We saw lots of boats coming and going, and thought we would enquire to see how much it would be for a trip.  We couldn't quite believe the answer - as we have a 50% off Swiss transport pass, it would only be CHF6.80 for the 3 of us - that is about £6.  Wowzers, we booked on and spent a pleasant hour bobbing along in a circle around the lake - our feet were very happy with us.

On our return we headed back towards our hotel on the other side of the water. We visited Grossmünster, a church where you can climb up one of the towers to a viewing platform which was lovely and sweaty in the heat!  Good view though.  Then we strolled down Niederdorf another area full of narrow cobbled streets and old buildings.  We found a coffee roasters, a very old style jam shop, amongst lots of restaurants and cafes.   By now we were wilting a bit, so we got ourselves some cold drinks and headed back to the hotel for cool showers and a rest before the night's activities.

In the evening, we headed down to the bottom of Bahnhofstrasse to Paradeplatz where we were meeting one of Matt's translator friends for dinner at Zeughauskeller - a proper Swiss restaurant.  It used to be an armoury so there were shields, swords, and armour all over the walls.  It was a busy place, plenty of beer, meat and potatoes!  Arlene and David were great hosts and helped us interpret the menu.  I went for herby sausages with potato salad, Tom went for Wiener Schnitzel with chips and Matt plumped for the smoked sausage on sourkraut.  We also ordered a rösti - for Tom to sample.  Then beer for the adults and shandy for the boy (apparently if you are 14 in Switzerland you can have weak beer if you are having a meal - Tom was overjoyed and felt very grown up).

It was a good night, felt a little sorry for Tom as it was hard for him to be included in the conversation - however, he did have a huge schnitzel to eat, which he managed and luckily he took his new Rubik's cube with him, so that helped too.  Also after finishing off the huge schnitzel he said he was full - until he found out that apple strudel was on the desert menu.  Suddenly he had more appetite and ordered it.  We got 2 spoons, but didn't get a look in - he demolished it in no time at all!

We walked slowly through the old town back to the hotel with Arlene and David.  It had been a good day.

Ingleton to Zurich

We had an ok sleep considering we were so excited to finally be on holiday.  We were up early, it was cold, grey and raining - the Yorkshire Dales have reverted back to normal.  We packed up the last bits and pieces, had breakfast and then headed out in the rain to the bus stop.  

Now, this is the trickiest part of the journey.  The trains are on strike today which makes getting to London quite tricky! Initially we thought there would be no trains at all, so we bought tickets on the Megabus from Lancaster to London - but that didn't leave until 2pm and didn't arrive in London until 9pm!  However, doing some research on strike days we discovered that there was a skeleton service, so we thought we would risk it - but get the first train out and have Bob on standby just in case it all went wrong and we needed to get to Lancaster for the coach.  

The first part of the journey was the Ingleton to Skipton bus - that arrived on time - phew.  We walked to Skipton Station and found a train to Leeds, all good so far.  The train was empty too.  On getting to Leeds we found a train to London sitting on a platform with its doors open, so we got onboard.  It was empty.  I have never seen a Intercity train so empty ever before!  We settled down and just hoped that our tickets (which were now for a train service that didn't exist)  would be accepted.  They were, so we relaxed in to the journey and enjoyed how empty it was.

We got into Kings Cross early - the station was pretty much deserted which was lovely.  We nipped upstairs for some lunchtime sushi from Wasabi and then found our hotel (Premier Inn Kings Cross) just round the corner.  We checked in but our room wasn't ready, so we quickly re-arranged our luggage and I got completely changed (a good 10 degrees warmer in London and I was in jeans and a jumper - basically boil in a bag!)  

We then headed out to do some sightseeing (we were in London quite a few hours than we should have been)  Tom requested to see the Natural History Museum, so we got the tube to South Kensington and headed in.  Tom and Matt wanted to see the bears so we headed to the mammal room, with the big blue whale.  We saw elephants, giraffes, a musk ox, zebra, more elephants, but no bears.  We went round and round, still no bears.  We eventually found someone to ask... the bear room is closed to the public as they are restoring some of the exhibits - nooooooo!  Oh well, we went to the shop, Tom bought a soft toy Narwhal which he 'fell in love with' and then we decided to head somewhere else.  We walked up to Hyde Park, found ourselves outside the Royal Geographical Society where there was an exhibition of photos on display, we tried to get in, it is closed at the weekend - so sad, I've never been in the building and would very much have liked to do so.  Next time maybe?

We realised we were close to the Albert Hall, so took Tom to see it and the golden statue of Albert opposite it.  We then got the bus right into the centre and decided to head to Soho for some tea.  The place was buzzing - it always is, we decided on a restaurant, Dumpling's Legend, and went in.  As you would expect from a restaurant in Soho, the service was quick, very quick.  We had our order taken, food served and bill put on the table in under 20 minutes, no exaggeration.  We decided it was high time Tom had his first duck and pancakes, so we ordered ½ a duck and 2 sets of dim sum.  All very tasty.  Then, much to the waiter's frustration, we went to the loo, one by one, he, at one point was dancing behind us with a clean tablecloth, hoping we would leave a bit quicker.   Especially as Tom and I stopped by the viewing area where you could see chefs making the dim sum!

We then headed to Leicester Square, once again to show Tom where all the Premiers take place.  Unbeknown to us, there was a new Lego Store in the square, and we could see a huge Austin Martin DB5 on the ground floor that children could sit in...hum, the place looked interesting.  We decided to join the long queue to go in.  We are so glad we did, the queue moved quickly and the shop was a thing of wonder!  Tom got to sit in the car, there was a HUGE Big Ben covering 2 stories of the shop, a huge route master bus, Tom got to sit next to Bill Shakespeare, and there were loads of Harry Potter figures.  We didn't buy anything (we couldn't, we are just about to go on holiday) but we were all amazed by the place and very glad we joined the queue.

We then headed to Trafalgar Square - had to give Tom a mini lesson on Napoleon and Nelson.  I went there because I wanted to see the sculpture on the plinth. The plinth was disappointedly empty. By now it was getting late, so we decided to walk back to the hotel.  It was a little longer than we realised, but the temperature was pleasant and mainly it is flat, we got back to the hotel tired but happy.

Surprisingly we had a really good sleep in the hotel, it was on a main street, there were sirens going off and there wasn't room to swing a cat with Tom's bed as well, but we all slept like logs, must have been the walk.  We thought we would find breakfast outside the hotel, and found a local cafe with good reviews, the Cappadocia.  Tom was straight on to nutella pancakes, Matt had a smoked salmon omelette and I had avocado and poached eggs on toast.  

Tom and I then went in search for lunch foods whilst Matt caught up on his emails.  We headed to St Pancreas in good time for our train, the place was packed and the queue long but moving.  We were told to wait a while for our train so we headed to the mezzanine floor and found a cafe and table to relax in, before we went back down to the huge queue.  We joined the huge queue, it moved quickly and there was no hassle getting through.  For the first time in my life I got stamped out of the UK by the French border control!  Well thank God for Brexit - we get an extra stamp in our passport - makes it all worth while!!!!!

We got on the Eurostar and had a very pleasant trip to Brussels, we were sat with a lady from Oostende who was really chatty and make the time go quickly.  On arrival to Brussels we found the hotel without too much bother.  The area it is in is being dug up big time, a real mess and all the businesses on the street were very closed.  The hotel didn't look much from the outside, but actually it was really nice - huge room, nice and cool, safe in the room.  We quickly had showers and then headed out to the Grand Place.  

Brussels is a good place for all of us to visit: me for chocolate, Tom for waffles and Matt for beer.  First touristy place we came to was the Mannequin Pis, this is also where all the chocolate shops are so I was straight in.  Last time we came every shop window had rusty chocolate tools in it, hence my toolkit, but this time all the window displays were gone.  

I had a good look round, the trends:

+ Chocolate bars with things on them - just as I do, but lots with nuts

+ Dipped oranges (using all types of chocolate)

+ Dipped marshmallows of all different flavours (the flavours being on the outside, not the marshmallows)

+ Tea cakes of all different flavours (the flavours being on the outside, not the marshmallowy bit)

+ Discs of chocolate with fruits and nuts stuck on them

+ Broken / seconds of chocolates bagged up and sold 

I was quite pleased, because I think I am pretty much on trend doing what I am doing at the moment.  My chocolates cost more than the ones in these shops, but they are made en masse unlike mine.  I took plenty of photos and was a very happy bee.  I bought some tea cakes for research purposes, they were all different flavours, I thought the marshmallows were flavoured, but it wasn't the case - just some sprinkles on the shell.  A bit disappointing - I won't be making those -they are so fragile to make and transport.

We headed up to the Grand Place and wondered at all the gold and then headed away from the square to find some tea.  We were guided by Matt who wanted to check out an old restaurant, Chez Léon, he used to frequent in the days of Sumitomo.  We found it, he wasn't sure so we looked around some more, but ended up back where we started and decided to head in.  The restaurant was mainly for moules, but Matt found a ½ poulet roti to appease him.  The service at this restaurant was the complete opposite to last night - the waiters were very slow in giving us the menus, taking our order and then sorting out the bill.  Its was all very good though.  I had moules natural (with wine, onions and celery), and Tom had deep fried breaded moules - he's back on to them - yay.

We then had another walk around, I dived into some more chocolate shops and then we stopped for waffles (Tom managed to order his in French) and after that a taster plank of 3 beers for Matt in a pub.  All of us were happy bunnies, so we walked back to the hotel along a parallel street which was also dug up and collapsed on our beds.

Monday, not a good sleep!   Not sure why, we had a great big bed, it was quiet and the room cool, but none of us slept well.  I was glad to finally get up, have a shower and be on our way.  We headed back to Midi Station and found ourselves breakfast - Apple Turnover, Cherry Turnover and Apricot Turnover - all very nice.  We then went round in circles trying to find our train...it didn't exist?!  We asked someone, 'There is a problem with that train" and were given a piece of paper.  Basically our fast high speed train was cancelled and we had to get local trains across Belgian to Cologne.  No!!!!!!  We thought once we were out of the UK we would be ok when it came to train scheduling.   This meant (of course) all our seat reservations were useless and we wouldn't get to Zurich until after 8pm!  However, there was nothing we could do so we had to make the best of it.  To be fair the trains we did use were all comfortable and on time.  

We went:

Brussels to Verviers

Verviers to Aachen - here I noticed everyone was wearing a face mask!  Germany still requires you to wear one on public transport - just as well we brought ours!

Aachen to Cologne

Cologne to Basel

Basel to Zurich

Beginning of the day

We managed to get a 1st class compartment on the Cologne to Basel train which was a huge bonus - we were worried that we wouldn't get a seat, but it turns out that this train had been shortened so no seat reservations stood!  Phew.  We also managed to get hold of some freshly baked pretzels and a wurst in a bun for Matt as we passed through Cologne station so another bonus and big ticks for the holiday food wishlist.

End of the day

When we got to Basel - we decided to get off at the first of the two stations as the Zurich train was behind us and would be on the same platform - so an easy change and we would be more likely to get seats when lots got off at the main Basel station.  So we did...then as we sat on a bench ready for the Zurich train, a voice pipes up - "it says do not board this train" - arghhhhhhhh!  What now?  Matt went to find someone...the Zurich train had a problem and was terminating at this station.  Great!!!!!  So much for our grand plan!  We were told what platform to go to for a local train to the big station, we went over and waited.  The Zurich train arrived and everyone got off and headed for the same platform as us, great!  Then another announcement the local train was cancelled!  We were told to get the Interlaken train which was another 20 minute wait.  This was going badly...we decided to forget the trains and get a bus from outside of the station across to the big station.  Loads did the same.  We had no idea how to get tickets for the bus, we asked the driver, he did a shrug, so we just got on.  So the small station was on the German side of Basel and the big station on the Swiss side.  At no point was there a sign saying welcome to Switzerland or anything of note.  I find that so strange?  Why would you not put a mark on the land showing a change in country (or is that very British of me?).  Anyway we got to the big station, and missed a train to Zurich by about 30 seconds - argggggh.  However, we found a SBB train direct to Zurich in 20 mins, we found the platform, the train was there and waiting.  We got on, found the first class carriage - oh I didn't mention, we are travelling 1st class everywhere in Europe, it was only about 10% more to do so, so seemed silly not to!  The first 1st class carriage was out of action so we got on the second one - wow, it was a gorgeous carriage, huge floor to ceiling windows, basically a panorama coach and very very comfy!  We were so glad and no-one asked us to move - phew!  Matt went in search of refreshment and came back with some rather lovely and very cold beer - and relax.

Best train of the day - the SBB engine.

We arrived in Zurich at 9pm - 3 hours after we should have done!  We found our hotel, The Hotel Bristol without too much trouble, dumped our stuff and then went back to the station in search of food and drink.  We found a huge supermarket, the boys went for the warm bakery counter and ended up with chicken curry strudel each which they loved, whilst I did the girlie salad thing!  We found a lovely place to eat in - on a bench by a lovely building.  It was still quite warm.  We went for a quick walk around the block and headed back to the hotel for showers, and bed.

Holidays Begin

So after a false start our holidays began - yay!

On Saturday Tom went to Skipton with Rebecca to watch the Railway Children, they had a great day out, but said the film wasn't very good.  Oh hum.  Matt and I went to Hawes to deliver some choccies and eat cheese and then went for a walk around the Ingleborough nature reserve to see the lily pads which were in flower.

Sunday saw Matt and Tom playing cricket for Ingleton on 20:20 finals day in Arnside - they had semi finals in the morning and if they got through, a final in the afternoon.  Unfortunately they didn't win the semi finals, so they were home early.  It was a warm day, so in a way they were pleased they didn't have to hang around all day.

Monday saw us heading to Wast Water in the Western Lakes to go for an Alpaca walk - a birthday present from Matt.  It dawned lovely, blue skies and it looked promising for a sunny day.  It takes an age to get to Wast Water - there are so many mountains (Scarfell is at the head of the lake) that you have go around them all which takes ages as there aren't any main roads.  Anyway we got there in good time, so much so that we had a leisurely picnic on the shore of the lake and enjoyed being in the sunshine.

We then drove around to the base of the lake where we found the farm with the Alpacas.  They had recently been clipped so were looking quite comical with their mop tops.  It was just the three of us and we were assigned an Alpaca each.  Matt got Charlie who was the alpha male and had to go first, Tom got Scooby Doo who was pretty well behaved until the end when he started to spit!  I had Rapha, who kept refusing to move and had to be encouraged!  It was a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon, they are so soft to touch and don't mind being constantly stroked.  We took them for a short walk - probably about 1½ miles, and quite gentle (considering the hills around!).  We ended up in the lake which was very pleasant - the water was surprisingly warm, but because it is so calm and still at the moment, the water isn't moving much meaning that it is beginning to warm up.  It was a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon.

We said goodbye and headed to the Inn at the head of the lake and had a much needed drink and sit down.  Tom played in the river going past (he fell in when he tried to get me wet - karma!)  We then headed slowly back home.  We stopped off at Broughton in the search for a pub and were directed to the Kings Head where we had a very pleasant meal in the garden - one to return to in the future.

Tuesday saw us up early and heading to Manchester for Tom's match for Westmorland. It was quite a way to go, but exciting as a new opportunity for Tom.  We arrived with what we thought was an hour to spare, to find everyone already there, we felt we were late, but we had been given a start time of 11am and no joining instructions.  Strange.  Then it started at 10.30 - very strange.  Then we were talking to another mum who mentioned something about being sent a team sheet - we didn't have one - very very strange?  Were we supposed to be there?  

Westmorland were batting first, Tom was number 10 which is fine - he isn't a batter.  The first two batsmen got out for 2 runs, not a great start, but the next batsmen did better.  When Tom came to bat, my heart was in my mouth.  This is a division higher division than he has played in before and Tom was playing with mainly county players.  All good for him, but the problem is that the county players don't know Tom which makes things a bit difficult.  Anyway, he had his first ball and he hit it almost to the boundary - scored 2 runs.  The next ball he got a 4, and again.  Yay, well done Tom.  Unfortunately the next two batsmen got out so Tom was left as the not out player and didn't get a chance to show anymore skills - we were really pleased for him.  They then went to field.  Tom was on the boundary and did well - not much got past him.  We were waiting for him to get a bowl.  Eight of his team mates got to bowl and then they started to repeat - they didn't ask Tom.  This is the problem with it all being county players that don't know him - he asked to bowl, they ignored him.  He stayed on the boundary line and Westmorland lost!  Some of the bowlers were quite weak (even I could see that) Matt and I were very frustrated and disappointed - it was a very long way for us to take him for him to face a couple of balls and not get a bowl.  Barely a word was spoken on the way home we were all upset.  We had to write to them to find out what was the deal, the email we received from them prior to the match was that everyone would have a chance to shine, it wasn't about winning / losing but showing off skills.  That absolutely didn't happen for Tom.  We don't want to be the complaining parents, but also we don't want Tom to miss out on opportunities.  We decided to sleep on it and write tomorrow when it wouldn't be so raw.

Wednesday morning was exciting - we finally got up in the hot air balloon.  Tom was sleeping over at Annabel's and we had to be at Devil's Bridge for 5am.  It was a glorious day - blue skies, sunny and no wind.  We all helped get the balloon out and inflated and then climbed onboard.  It was pretty snug in the basket - there were 12 of us in the basket as well as the pilot - you couldn't move around once you were in you were in.  

He showed us how we should sit for landing and then we were up, up and away.  It was very very gentle.  We didn't even know we had taken off.  The lack of wind made the flight very comfortable, but also it meant that it didn't travel very far.  

 
Basically we did laps of Kirkby Lonsdale - we went around it high, low, very low and high again.  It was interesting though seeing the place from above, so many more buildings than we realised, some swimming pools etc.  When we did the very low pass, we were able to say good morning to people on the ground, we even woke up some people in the campsite (must have been a little surprising to see a hot air balloon almost land next door to your tent?!  The higher we went the flatter the land looked, but we could see to Blackpool Tower, to the Lake District Mountains, the Howgills and Ingleborough.  

It was very calming and very interesting.  I think we were up for just over an hour.  We did two landings, one on a steep field and then another in a flatter field.  We all helped put the balloon back into its bag and then were treated to Bucks Fizz.  

One of the other passengers was a crafter from Sedbergh so we spent a while chatting about shops / websites / webshops etc etc.  Tom was out climbing with the climbing club for most of the day and when they finished he went straight back to Annabel's to immerse himself in their paddling pool to cool down (it was high 20s today).  Matt and I spent the day cleaning and tidying the house ready for some guests arriving tomorrow.

Thursday we had a quiet start to the day - another hot one!  We discovered we didn't have any breakfast items in the house so went to Inglesport for breakfast.  We then finished off the tidying etc, made beds, flapped wings, played snooker etc.  At 4.30 Dylan, Risa, Harry and Jack arrived.  Now I've met Dylan but not the other 3 and Matt hadn't seen Risa for 20 years and not met Harry or Jack.  They live a different life.  Dylan lives and works in Japan and Risa and the two children live in Ohio.  Dylan works for a university so has long holidays and spends them in Ohio with his family.  He's originally from Wales and they were over for a week to attend a wedding.  Tom and I have met Dylan in Japan a couple of times.  Well, they were wonderful guests.  Harry is 19 and Jack 13 and both so polite and helpful.  Risa and Dylan so easy to chat to we just all slotted in with each other, felt like they were old friends.  We chatted in the garden for a while and then we all went to La Tavernetta for dinner which was lovely, even more so as Dylan wouldn't let us pay for it!!!!  Harry and Jack decided to sleep in the van - exciting for them.  In the morning we all had bacon and then headed up to Ribblehead to do the short circuit walk - stopping for a dip in the river.  It was very very hot but we had all creamed up so were good.  We parted our ways at Ribblehead - they were heading up to Berwick across the Dales.  We were only together for half day, but we all got on really well, we felt like good friends by the time they left.  We then spent the rest of the day hiding from the sun.  It got to 32 degrees today!  In the afternoon Tom went for a dip in the river whilst Matt and I faffed around and then Bob came round for a BBQ in the evening.

AWAITING PICS OF DYLAN AND FAMILY

Saturday - another roasting day.  Matt was off to play cricket for the 1st team in Coniston.  I had laundry  and a cake to make so Tom headed off to Burton river with the Bickerstaffs for a dip, then in the evening, Tom and I went with the Mannings and Bickerstaffs to a part of the river we haven't explored before.  It was lovely but very cold.  I did eventually get in, and it was glorious.  We got home just before Matt returned, had tea and then to bed.

Adam Rossington

Sunday - an exciting day, we went to Headingly to see the 100.  Oh my it was a very very hot day!  We drove to Conningly and then got the train to the stadium.  

We got there around 10.30 in time to see the lady's game.  We, being from Yorkshire, support the Northern Super Chargers.  They were playing London Spirit - boo, hiss!  We got our seats - wowzers we were only 3 rows from the front, no shade for us for the day, but a chance to see the ball.  Luckily we had packed a huge picnic with loads of drinks, so we were ok for fluids.  We got ourselves comfortable and then suddenly got roasted from some flames - we were sat directly infront of the flame throwers which went off everytime scored a 4 or 6 - oh joy!  It made your skin sing each time it happened, as if it wasn't hot enough.  Oh well, it was a great atmosphere in the stadium.  We bought Tom a Northern Superchargers top as a reward for trying hard at school and at the cricket camp, which he was very pleased with (in fact he has had it on ever since!) 

Glenn Maxwell

The girls put on a great show with the Northern Super Chargers winning on the last ball - nail biting stuff.  The men, however, didn't do so well, they struggled to bat and then when the opposition came on they hit the ball all over the place!  We did get to see lots of 6s and 4s which was good, but it was a shame they were from the other team.  However, as I said the atmosphere was good, we had a good time and we have never slapped on so much sun cream on in our lives.  It did a good job, none of us got burnt and we were sat in our seats for 7 hours!  It was a very good day out, but we were very pleased to get home and have a shower.

Monday, the Komorowski girls (and Teddy the dog) came to stay.  Adam is in Bosnia with work.  They came for lunch so morning was spent running around getting things ready, and Karen's cake finished (she is 50 on Friday, and she won't be getting a cake, so I thought I would treat her).  It was supposed to be much cooler today, and although it wasn't roasting like yesterday, it was still quite warm.  They arrived at 1, we had a picky lunch and then went for a walk around the village and Storrs Common before heading to the swimming pool for an afternoon session.  Then a late dinner and bed with Tom and Rosa in the van. 

Tuesday - we all woke up late, and decided to head to Ingleborough Cave in Clapham.  So, after a late breakfast, we headed over to the village and walked up along the nature trail to the cave.  Karen, Tom, Rosa and Leia went in whilst Matt and I looked after Teddy.  He is so much calmer this year, last year he was a real handful and I wouldn't have been able to take him on the lead (he tugged Karen and Matt over when he came) but this year he is much easier on the lead.  We had a good walk with him up to Trow Gill and back and then had an ice cream whilst we waited for the cave dwellers to arrive. 

We then headed back, had a late lunch and then another session in the pool - we won big time here as we ended up having the pool to ourselves for most of the session - the kids managed to play really nicely with each other (Rosa at 10 is at a difficult, contrary age at the moment which makes her hard to interact with at any level!).  We were going to have a BBQ in the evening, but the weather let us down, it went cold, windy and some rain, so we had an indoor one instead.  Oh hum.  By the time we had eaten it was pretty late again!

Wednesday morning the Komorovskis headed back home.  We cleaned up after them and then headed to the dentist in Settle.  We haven't been since before the pandemic - so was expecting to get told off for plaque build up etc, but I got a clean bill of health.  Tom got told that he can do better and Matt has a filling and (maybe) a wisdom tooth to be removed.  We got back and had a quiet evening and went to bed early - we were all shattered.Thursday, Tom had a cricket match with Westmoreland District.  This time it was at home which is in Carnforth.  We got there at 10am and were the first to arrive.  We had made double sure with the coach that we were meant to be there this time - we were.  This game was against Wigan and District.  On the Westmorland Team was a new guy - Tom Bentley.  He was from Surrey, newly arrived in the north and looking for a team to play for.  OMG, he was a master class of how to play cricket.  He completely dominated the whole game and made everyone else (including Cumbria county players) look completely amateur.  Westmoreland started the batting, they were doing ok, and then Tom Bentley came on and before you knew it he had made 100, - then he started to slog and slog he did, 6s flying here there and everywhere.  He scored over half the runs of the team.  Tom was batting at 10 and made 1 before getting out!  Tom Bentley then opened the bowling, once again he completely dominated.  He was bowling so fast, faster than Matt had ever seen!  The first batsman got out for a golden duck and said that he didn't see it at all.  He got 3 wickets in 2 overs, and knocked the stumps clean out each time.  In fact he broke one of the stumps!  The poor Wigan players were trembling in the changing room -  not wanting to go out and face him.  I don't blame them!  He got one of the players with a bouncer off the helmet and almost knocked him out.  In the end the coaches had to take him off, before their was a riot - it wasn't a fair game, it was a one man cricket match!  I wouldn't be surprised if we saw him playing for England, he was so far above any of the other players there!  They brought our Tom in to bowl afterwards, it didn't go well.  I think he was trying to emulate the other Tom and started bowling wildly and then he got hit for sixes, four times.  Not great.  However, he did manage to get a wicket with his last ball, thankfully!  So Westmoreland won the game, but they didn't really, Tom Bentley won the game.  There was a scout from Lancashire cricket at the game, he was straight over to recruit him.  Don't think we will see him at District level again!  We came home a little deflated again, at least Tom got a chance to bowl this time, but such a shame it didn't go well.

Friday was all about packing for holidays - we are off tomorrow.  It took all morning to pack, then lunch at Bernies, a game of Wingspan and then we met up with Bob in Settle for a curry.  Exciting times...

Covid & Cricket

So we went to Tom's concert on the hottest day of the year - lots of people crammed into the school hall - waving fans about trying to keep cool.  The next day I didn't feel quite right and had a sore throat, hummmm, did a Covid test - instantly positive!  Oh no!  Looked up the regulations, officially you can be out and about spreading it, but they advise 5 days isolation for adults and 3 days isolation for children.

I wasn't feeling right at all - hot and cold, tired and started to cough, so took myself up to the spare bedroom to hang out with my computer and phone.  I had 2 cakes on this week that I hadn't finished, one was a fruit cake which had been baked and the other a sponge cake which I had to make from scratch.  I cancelled the sponge cake (first time I have ever had to cancel anything), and asked the family the fruit cake was for if they still wanted it knowing that I have Covid - they did.  Luckily they didn't want it decorated, just iced.  I also told any friends that I had been hanging out with, two of which were about to go on holiday (luckily no-one outside of the family that we know of contracted it - phew!)

Lunch at Yard and Coop

I then spent the rest of the week doing computer admin, as that was all I could face.  I wasn't really really ill, just incredibly lethargic with no motivation to do anything.  Tom and Matt were fine. Tom carried on going to school and Matt carried on with work.  On the Saturday, they decided to go to Liverpool for the day on the train - so that I could move about the house and have some quiet time.  I got a call from Matt once they got there, he wasn't feeling too good - nooooooo!  Luckily he had his mask with him (as a precaution) so put it on and they got the first available train back.  Matt tested on his return and was negative, but the next day he got a feint line (as did I), Tom was still negative.  Then we ran out of tests and had to buy some more - harder than you would think - the government I don't think want you to be testing, they want everyone to get it and get immunity that way.

Tom and I were supposed to be travelling down to Crapstone to see Mum and Dad, but Tom was a ticking time bomb on the Covid front - I couldn't take him there knowing that he might develop it and also I was still very very tired.  After 5 days I was still feeling quite ill - I didn't venture out until day 8 when I was feeling a little more normal.  Matt in the meantime was feeling quite ill - he was very tired too.  So he was in the main bedroom, I was in the front bedroom and Tom was left to hang out in his bedroom by himself, not the best start to the summer holidays!  

On Wednesday Tom played a game of cricket - did really well.  He had to retire after scoring 25 runs and he got a wicket.  We tested him before he went to play, he was clear,  on 

Thursday, he was due to go to the cinema with Rebecca to watch the Railway Children, so we tested him again - a big bright red line - a hatrick!!!! 

The good thing was that we were able to all come together again and hang out with each other.  Tom wasn't ill with it - just a snotty nose and a bit of a cough for 2 days.  We wouldn't have caught it if it wasn't for the fact Matt and I had Covid, and would have put it down to hay fever!  

Although it was a pain, actually in the long run it was good, it means we can go on holiday and not worry about getting it as we are full of anti-bodies now and therefore shouldn't catch it for a while, which is a good thought.  

Luckily we were all feeling well again when Tom was booked in for cricket summer school at Giggleswick School - this was something that I saw on my FB feed, being run by a Sri Lankan professional, Ash Silva.  It was a bit pricy at £170 for 4 days, but Tom was keen and he hasn't had the same amount of training this year as normal as the Ingleton coach is overstretched.  I was a little nervous taking him there as private schools intimidate me - most of the kids that turned up were in Giggleswick PE uniforms.  However, Tom is pretty good at fitting in.  He made friends with the other non Giggleswick children (one from Settle College, a couple from Clitheroe, and some others).  In short he loved it!  7 hours of glorious cricket every day, including sessions in the weights room (something he has never done before) he learnt lots, the coach gave him loads of help with his batting, which he said improved significantly. At the end they handed out certificates for the best batter, best fielder, best bowler, best at weights, and best performance.  Tom got awarded Best Performance which was brilliant, so glad he got noticed.  The coach said that he could get a scholarship to Giggleswick for 6th Form on the back of his cricket skills - so that is something to think about for the future.

Matt and I spent the time catching up on all the work we hadn't done whilst we had Covid.  So, I was tempering loads of chocolate and Matt was translating, ready to start the holidays proper.

Oh, I had a phone conversation with my Dr about cholesterol levels, which was all positive.  Basically I need to get down to 10 ½ stone (another half stone to go) and try to keep around that level and I should be fine.  I do have familial cholesterol, so my genes are working against me and it is impossible to get my levels down to 'normal' but I am doing all the right things and if I can keep my weight around this level I should be ok.  No tablets, and no need to retest for another 5 years at the earliest.  That's the best outcome I could have.  Obviously it is holidays now and we are going to the land of cheese and chocolate, so I will stall on the weight loss thing until September and then make a last push on it to get to that weight.