Bla

Sat home day

Swimming @ Parkside

Sun Norfolk Brancaster 

Career break

Left work

Leaving do

Felt grotty

Mon tues not a lot. Hair tues. 

weds daddy and Sam day bounce around 

Thurs Ian and Ruth. 

Friday Caroline bday cau

Kidz photo sat. Fsg plus rugby

Sun ice skating pratfalls and fair

Mon no school run - to CC

Tue CC - Stratford f&c

Wed home

Thurs nursery 

Fri nursery & saw Bridge of Spies

Sat disastrous date eve

Sun 51a maintenance

Mon new job start 

Autumn, finally

Definitely Autumn this weekend. Jim arrived on Friday, his 9th birthday, and opened pressies. He seemed ok but for the first time expressed how he felt a bit unsettled when he first comes here. This is, of course, something I have noticed for ages. He got a chemistry set from his grandparents and various other things. The main hit seems to have been Skylanders Trap Team, which he has played all weekend.

Saturday was a relaxed day, with nothing much but a trip out to the Grafton to buy new Skylanders, inevitably. Everyone more or less chilled, within the usual bounds.

Sunday morning Jim and I went to the Good Shepherd up the road, our parish church. Only the second time I've been there since we moved in almost 3 years ago. It was an all-age Communion, and better than I expected. Quite well attended - the usual sort of demographic but certainly not a dead church. Judith, the curate who led the service seemed very nice, and she asked Jim his name and sadi a prayer for him when we went to the rail. Some aspect were quite traditional - wafers, silverware, vestments etc. Proper liturgy. But some modern, such as choruses and a very small amount of clappiness. I liked it and Jim says he did too. Not sure why - it's difficult to tell with him sometimes, but I was very pleased to have gone, and doubly so to have gone with him. It's a cliché when it comes to old people like me, but the older I get the more I like the rituals of faith, especially the Sacrament of the Eucharist, as us Protestants with leanings towards Mother Church call it. The church itself is interesting - brick built 50's or 60's thing, but it a very traditional style with nave, clerestory and even a side chapel. Maybe it has a high church past as well, as there are stations of the cross and a crucifix complete with Our Lord and INRI. Brighter and airier than one expects. I like it.

Rest of the day was a little tense. Well, Sammy was tired because of the time change and is going through a serious tantrum stage. C is tired of it and is tending towards gloom. We went to town, had lunch at Clowns (successful) and then it was decreasing returns from then on. Jim is great, that's all I will say. Sam had the most spectacular tantrum in the evening. Complete. incoherent rage because I got him out of the bath. Hope it is a short-lived phase...

Cnorwall two years later

I have been a little slack with this over the last.. er.. two years. I'm not really sure what has happened, except that Sam is 2 1/2 now instead of 6 months, and I have worked, and been to Cornwall, and tried to look after everyone. Jim was 6 last time I blogged and now he is 8. Amy is a teenager, very much a teenager. Min is at Netherhall. C and I have had our ups and downs but are ok. It has been tiring and sometimes a slog, but with much joy. I am just coming up 47, instead of just coming up 45 - does that make any difference? I'm not sure. My back is better, my gammy foot is worse. I am probably stronger but fatter. Hm. The parents have been though a lot: in early 2013 Mum had a stroke and is only just really back to more or less herself.

I will try to go back to keeping a journal of the weekends we have all the children here, just so there is something left of me apart from thousands of photos and a half-hearted Ancestry account.

Oh yes, Cnorwall. We went for a week this year, which wasn't long enough, but then we went to the Lake District, which was good. I dragged everyone up Sergeant Man, which meant a lot to me but which might put them off ever going back...

Cornwall

Sat arrive after trip from CC

Sun Lifeboat day, but no arcotter

Mon Walk to Loe Bar

Tues Porthleven beach, rockpooling with Jim

Weds Perranuthnoe, harbour jumping after all these years

Thurs Rainy cinema day

Fri Rockpooling with Sam then with VV and Rick 

Lakes

Fri Arrive after sitting on M6 and going briefly to Dunham Massie

Sat Climb up to Easedale Tarn, aborted climb to Codale Tarn due to Weather

Sun Silver How - windy mountain walk

Mon Lake trip on Derwent Water then walk round to Nichol End from Lodore

Tues Sergeant Man slog via Blindtarn Moss

Weds Walk round Grasmere

Thurs No walks! Keswick illusion place, rowing and motor boating

Cnorwall 14

Blogged 2 years after the event, in fact, but these are the (incomplete) notes I took. Could do with being cross-referenced with Flickr.

Horrible journey down obvs. Just tons of traffic. A bit depressed on arrival as the weather broke as per on the way down and then the cottage is on the main route through st Ives. Not a good night sleep first night and we were both toired and a bit depressed the next day. Surfing on Porthmeor in the morning and then Gartul in the afternoon for family gathering. Good to see everyone but as usual not much time to catch up. No vv and rick as they're in France. Mum was ok but complainy and not herself. 

Better night Sunday night then Tate in the morning and Porthmeor cafe for lunch and an abortive rainy trip to the beach in the afternoon. Not tempted to go in. Pasties on the harbour wall for tea, fighting off seagulls.

Thursday. Bad weather forecast so we decided to go for a walk. Drove down the coast (much complaining) and walked up to men an tol and the nine maidens from Carn Galver mine. I've never been there, the weather was unexpectedly good - especially when sheltered from the north westerly breeze - and the children enjoyed it after initial whining. Dinner in Pizza Express on the harbour side. Middle class bunfight.

Friday. Some stress in the AM as C in bad mood. Headed off to the island via Penwith gallery but drizzle started so the others went souvenir shopping while I did the island walk. Got wet when the heavy rain came in but we met up amicably at lunchtime. Kids stayed in for a bit while me C and Sam went to some galleries. Bought a Martin Perryman seascape for £880. An indulgence I suppose but surely not a waste of money..? Actually did the island circuit in the afternoon with kidz. Sammy no longer happy in buggy (doww! doww!) and trying very hard to walk. Did most of our move packing in the evening so self- impressed with organisation. 

Saturday. Changeover. Godolphin house. 

Sunday. Praa Sands. Sunny. Grumpy. Dow. Rock pooling with Jim in the afternoon. Abortive look at Rinsey but no sand, and they have tarmaced the bumpy lane. 

Monday. Crabbing on the fish slab in the morning. Surfing at Perranuthnoe with Jim in the afternoon. In doghouse for getting back late. We were supposed to have a barbecue at Gartul but didn't. Shame.  

Tuesday. 9 mile walk from Mullion to Porthleven. Amy in black mood but Sam biggest complainer. Probably last time I do such a long walk with him in the backpack. Told Jim he was full member of the bell clan after doing the walk. A bit of rainy crabbing afterwards. 

BH weekend

I went to collect Jim on Friday after he got back from a trip to Norfolk with James and Hannah. He was in good spirits. Saturday it was just him and Minnie because Amy was in London with the cousins, a situation he approved of because “Minnie doesn’t bully me when Amy isn’t around”. It’s Monday now and I can’t even remember what we did on Saturday so what on earth is the point? Oh, except swimming at CC. C was out in the evening so I babysat, and Jim camped out in Min’s room. They were happy. Sunday C went to London to pick up Amy, leaving me with everybody. Was fine. We got out to the Jesus Green park in the afternoon and were at the Fort St George having a J2O when they arrived back at the house. Felt good about looking after the boy. Ian and Ruth came round in the eve and I did curries. Ian v relaxed for a change. BH Monday we went bowling in the morning with a couple of C’s friends, then a game of pool and air hockey at the bowling place. Jim and I had fun, Amy anti-social and horrible, Sammy unsure about the whole thing. Then lunch and Frankie and Benny’s, which I liked but which was a bit of a bunfight. Lots of time trying to persuade Sammy that he wasn’t going to destroy everything within reach. Afternoon as stressful as usual, but great to have Jim around. 

Lakes 2014

Saturday: apocalyptically bad journey in the rain to Gunpowder Cottage. Nice but a little scruffy for the price and not particularly well cleaned. Tucked away behind the pub, which is excellent, and has a good green the kids played on. Had food there the first night. No wifi or phone coverage in the cottage!! Jim and Min sharing, Sammy in the dark room and us as far away as possible...

Sunday: climbed Loughrigg. Kids did really well, weather was ok but spots of rain and chilly in the breeze on top. Had to give Jim a clip around the ear for heading off with Amy in a rebellious way and felt bad about it for a while. Amy whining incessantly on the way down.

Monday: big long walk down to Skelwith and up into Little Langdale. Best day of the holiday weather-wise.

Tuesday: Windermere ferry trip. Got the steamer down to Lakeside and walked up to the bobbin mill, which was closed of course. C stressed by the narrow roads. Walked up to the High Dam car park, where Amy, Sam and C declined the walk up to the dam but I managed to persuade Min and Jim. Again there was a bit of complaining from Jim and (unusually) Minnie, who is usually a trooper on the hills. I was glad I'd done it and it was good to reacquaint myself with the place for the first time since 1987. Then the aquarium at Lakeside and back.

Wednesday: miserable weather - pissed down all day but we still went over to Grasmere and climbed Helm Crag anyway. Go us. Poor Sammy didn't enjoy it that much I think. He cried pitifully at the top as we were being lashed by the wind and rain, but I think it was a combination of tiredness and maybe cold. He was dry in his puddle suit but we put an extra layer on him and he settled and slept on the way down. A bit of complaining at the top from Jim, and he frightened himself by following Amy along a craggy bit, but he was fine afterwards. We were all fortified by Grasmere gingerbread yum. Was good to get in to the dry afterwards.

Thursday: rest day. Went to Coniston and hired an electric motorboat and took off down the lake, an hour there and an hour back. Kids enjoyed pointing the boat. Then went to the Ruskin museum which turned out to be more interesting than expected. They are going to get the rebuilt Bluebird there when she is finished.

Friday: last day hike. Did Lingmoor Fell, our highest yet. Whining from Amy and some from Jim, none from Minnie. Good hill, and a great day I'm retrospect. Drink in the Old Dungeon Ghyll afterwards hurrah, and the day was warm though not sunny. Not looking forward to trip home. Kids happy, and I have got used to Amy's whining.