Deer, Deer and Sparklers

November 04, 2018 in Days out with James

Lyns was working nights Friday and Saturday night so James and I took the opportunity to have a sleep over at Nana and Grandads. Cheekily, this also meant that I could go out for a run on Sunday morning. Dad volunteers at Fountains Abbey and he had heard there was a deer walk this weekend.

We headed over for lunchtime on Saturday. The walk seemed really interesting as it tours round the deer park stopping from place to place to give a little talk about the area. Unfortunately, it is not really suitable for very small children as James could not keep up with the pace of the walk. Not that it mattered, as we know the area relatively well and there are so many deer it would be impossible not to find them.

The weather was absolutely stunning and even though we all wrapped up, we did not really need it. We even go some spells of sunshine which was nice. James was in his element, running around and exploring everything. Once off the road James was pretty safe to explore wherever he wanted, as long as he kept away from the deer. It is currently the rutting season and whilst the deer kept their distance, there is a higher than usual chance they could get aggressive.

James had lots of fun spotting all the deer. At first they were all reindeer to him, however we quickly explained that these were red and fallow deer. Once he had worked out the difference between them, he became quite an expert at pointing them out.

There are some lovely properties in the deer park. Some are owned by the national trust and you can rent them out as a holiday home. Others are privately owned. I mean, imagine living in the house pictured below. It would be amazing.

Very quickly we had been left behind by the group on the tour so we made our own little tour for James, shortening it to suit the distance that he could walk. As we were nearing the car on the return leg, we came across some huge piles of fallen leaves. James proceeded to do what all little boys do when confronted with piles of leaves.

After we had got back to the car it was down to the cafe for a cup of coffee and, in James’ case, a hot chocolate. He must have been thirsty after his walk as he demolished his hot chocolate.

After we had got back to nana and grandads it was time for a fire and some sparklers. James loved the sparklers and went through two full packs of them. Grandad had fired up the BBQ and we had a very enjoyable dinner of sausages in buns, a very bonfire night style dinner.

Sunday morning saw me up bright and early and heading back to Fountains Abbey. This time I was on my own for the purpose of going for a run. It was over cast and very warm for this time of year. I had a very pleasurable few hours, running several laps around the deer park as well as exploring some of the footpaths around the area. I had not truly appreciated how hilly the area was. There are very few flat bits.

After getting back to nana and grandads and having a couple of hours playing with James it was back home to wake mummy up. James loves waking mummy and he is so cute doing it with with big kisses and cuddles. He certainly gets a better reception than I do when I wake Lyns up.

We had a party at our nursery in the afternoon, followed by heading to our friends, Lorna and Paul, for some fireworks and dinner. We had a very pleasurable evening with the kids having lots of fun and mostly enjoying the fireworks.

As with always, it was a shame the weekend had to come to an end. James and I had a lot of fun, a testament to which was the speed he fell asleep once his head hit the pillow after we got home.

Kicking Leaves and Climbing Trees

October 28, 2018 in Days out with James

Today saw us have a lazy start to the day. Lyns was on a late shift so I headed out early for a run before heading home and spending a little time with them both. After Lyns had headed to work, I asked James what he would like to do. He decided that he would like to go to a wood to find some conkers. After we had had lunch we headed out to my favourite local woodlands, Moorlands.

We go there quite a bit, but if you have not been, it is perfect for toddlers. It takes an hour or so to slowly wander round, with lots of areas for playing in. James loves it. Today there were lots of people there as the weather was nice and it was relatively dry under foot. We went with the expectation that it would be really muddle and wet but the path was really dry and we both would have been fine in trainers.

As you can see, James took his halloween bucket with him so that he could collect conkers. We did not see a single conker but he had loads of fun seeing what else he could find. We came home with a rare old collection of sticks, stones and leaves. Talking of leaves, James was loving kicking through all of the leaves. He was in his element and leaves were flying everywhere for most of the walk round.

When we had come before we had found a big badgers set, well thats what we came to the conclusion it was, so more than happy to stand corrected if there are no badgers in the area. James remembered this and spent a lot of time going off the path seeing if he could find more badger sets or rabbit holes. He was intrigued by things that live underground and kept telling me to be quiet so we did not wake them up.

For most of the walk round the leaves on the floor were the standard autumn brown. We came round one corner and there was a beautiful tree dropping red leaves everywhere. James was amazed that the leaves were red, not brown, and spent a long time examining them and asking why they were such a nice colour. I was useless as I had no idea at all what type of tree it was, any help gratefully received.

About half way round there is a bird hide tree house. We did not see any birds as there were a lot of children running around making a lot of noise but we had a good play in the tree house. James was up and down the steps hiding from the Gruffalo and the Gruffalo’s Child. He has some imagination that boy.

After we had spent about twenty minutes playing in the tree house James was starting to flag so we headed back to the car. It is roughly twenty minutes walk, at a tired James pace, to get back to the car but he kept is little legs pumping and with a few breaks en route, we made good speed.

We got back to the car and headed home. I was fully expecting the little man to fall asleep however he chatted all the way home. When we got home it was out with the Hot Wheels before he had some home made tomato soup and headed to bed. A lovely little stroll in the woodland that James thoroughly enjoyed.

Trains, Minster and Bendy Buses

October 22, 2018 in Days out with James

So today was the penultimate full day of Colin, Elaine and Alexander’s flying visit to York. Alexander was really looking forward to going to the railway museum, but, more importantly, he wanted to go on a bendy bus. He has a toy model of one but had never been on one so was really excited when he found out they were in York. I’m not sure if he was more excited about the bus or the museum.

We were a little late heading out and it showed when we got to the park and ride. The queue for the bus was huge. If you get there at 10 you get straight on a bus, get there at 11 and the queue is massive! Not that it mattered as we were in no rush. We jumped on the bus, making sure to sit near the bend and headed off. We jumped off and headed into the National Railway Museum. The boys were in their element, running around an exploring all of the trains. That was, until, they saw the Thomas ride. Could we get them off? No way, not until they had had their fill anyway.

After playing inside, we headed out to see the trains come into York station. If you have not been before, there is a viewing platform you can stand outside on and watch the trains pass. For some reason, there were a lot of miserable people on the trains this Saturday as not one person waved back, much to James’ consternation. That being said, the boys enjoyed watching the trains pass and it was nice to be outside getting some fresh air.

After the museum, it was onto the bus and into York to get some lunch. I had a super hangry wife who got ever more so as I forced everyone to walk across town to get to the bakers near to the minster so we could have warm pasties for lunch. Unbeknown to me, it had closed down! I could feel the looks of hatred without the need to turn round. By this point there were two hangry wives. Luckily there was another bakers near by so we hot footed it across and bought some sandwiches for lunch.

We headed to the Minster Gardens for our lunch. It was a beautiful day and it meant that the boys could run around to their hearts content and there was a lot of room for them to do it in. Alexander managed to flirt with two young ladies who were instagramming in the park and had them beaming at him. A little heart breaker in the making. I wonder where he gets that from … any ideas Colin??

After the having a good run round, burning off all their energy, we headed into York itself. The boys had a little pocket money to spend so it was off to the Disney shop. James treated himself to a Jack Jack cuddly toy and Alexander a Buzz Lightyear. It was just a quick trip into town as the boys were getting tired and Colin and I needed to get back to cook dinner.

After getting the bus home, the girls put the boys to bed whilst Colin and I cracked on with dinner. Two curries, one starter and a desert later we had a house of satisfied people and we opened a few bottle of wine and gin and settled in for a few drinks.

Piglets, Boars and Play Areas

October 21, 2018 in Days out with James

This weekend saw Lyns’ little brother and his family come to visit, and where else to go to let the little ones run off some steam than Piglets. During the week it is half price entry so about £6 each which is not too bad. Absolutely loads to do, animals, climbing frames, go carts and so much more. We spent more of less the whole day there and the little ones just went wild for it.

We arrived just in time for feeding the animals. This happens a couple of times each day, along with petting the animals. There are a range of animals from chickens and guinea pigs to massive boars. Alexander was not so keen on the animals but James was mesmerised by feeding the boars and he loved throwing, or at least trying to, the food into their mouths. The boars would stand their and open their mouths presenting a very large target.

After feeding the boars we went for a walk to see the other animals. There is a highland cow, Shetland ponies and a range of other farmyard animals. With the sun shining, it was a lovely walk around. It had been a cold start to the day, but had warmed up quickly. James loved feeding the ponies although every time they came to take the straw out of his hand, he would pull away shrieking, much to everyones amusement. It was a good peaceful start to the day before the chaos of climbing farms and play areas commenced.

After the animals, we wandered back to the main play area to see where Alexander and Elaine were. We found Alexander riding one of the big pigs. James of course jumped straight on as well. It was the perfect place for some amusing photographs, my favourite being the Baker family selfie!

After the pigs it was onto the bouncing pillows. No idea how these are made but the are so much fun for bouncing on, even for the grown ups. One of the advantages of coming mid week is that it was really quiet. We had a lot of the play areas all to ourselves. When we have come on a weekend before it has been heaving, not today! Alexander loved the pillows. As soon as I pulled out the camera the poses he started pulling were hilarious. What a little show off he was, pulling out all the moves.

After the pillows it was on to the bit that Alexander had been looking forward to from the moment we arrived, the tractor ride. If you have not been, there is a tractor and trailer ride that takes you to the play barn. We all climbed aboard and bounced our way along the track to the play barn. Inside the play barn there are ride on tractors, a sand pit, slides and swings. On top of that, there is a cafe which sells pizza, ice cream and coffee, much to our delight. The boys had a wail of a time exploring all the different areas and playing to their heart’s content.

Once the boys, or at least James, had doubled their body weight with sand and straw it was time to head back. Colin and I, sorry I mean James and Alexander, had a date with the go carts. Colin was off like a shot taking several bends on two wheels which is pretty impressive seeing the go carts weigh about ten tonnes! They have some great ones where you can sit side by side which meant that James and Alexander, who are too small really to peddle, can still have a ride around. Cue boys vs girls races!

After the grown ups had exhausted themselves on the go carts it was time to have a play on the climbing frames as a chill out before we headed home. By this time, the late autumn sun was setting, casting a lovely warm glow across the play areas. The boys had lots of fun digging and climbing, finishing the day off perfectly.

We loaded two very tired and filthy boys into the cars to head home. First thing we did when we got home was throw them into the bath, turning the water black. Then it was dinner and bed. A lovely out.

It's a Knock Out

September 02, 2018 in Days out with James

So today saw a little more excitement than usual for a Sunday. Lynsey had entered It's a Knock Out in aid of St. Leonards Hospice in York. If you do not know what they are about please check out their page HERE, a very worthy cause. If you have not already and you would like to sponsor Lynsey or any of the team doing it, please go to their just giving page HERE.

All in all it was a great day - James loved seeing Mummy get up to all sorts of crazy things. I will not spoil it other than to say, have a look at the pictures and see what you think!

And that was about that! A lot of organised chaos, very enjoyable for all.

A Cheeky Little Shoot

August 27, 2018 in Days out with James

So, just a quick blog today. Some friends of ours asked for some pictures doing, here are a few of the ones that I took. All taken at Moorlands Nature Reserve just outside York. Well worth a visit if you have never been. Hope you like them.

The Clash of Steel

August 07, 2018 in Days out with James

This weekend had started the week before as we had been getting James excited about the thought of going to see knights at Helmsley Castle and we had been counting down the sleeps. What's more, we had decided to go camping for the weekend as well to make a mini break out of it. The Friday started well as I got off a little early from work and headed home to pick up some vital supplies. I visited a little farm shop come deli on my way home and picked up some sausages and burgers and then popped into Tesco for some oven cooked pizzas and dough balls. Yep you read that right, we can cook pizza and dough balls whilst camping!!! Good stuff.

After throwing the tent into the car we headed out. Disaster struck as James fell asleep as soon as he got into the car. No biggie we thought, however we were wrong, as time would tell. We dropped Jess off at mum and dads, and exchanged her for some pillows as we had forgotten ours, and headed to the camp site. We were staying at Brenk House Caravan Park just outside Coxwold. Unbeknownst to me when I booked it, we had stayed here a few years before when trying out what was our new tent at the time. Now, caravan park may be a grand title for the campsite, as it is a site with around ten pitches. The location is beautiful, surrounded by green fields and with Byland Abbey just in sight. Facilities are basic, however very clean and we never had to wait to use them. Because there were only five groups there, people tended to ask to use them which was nice.

We arrived about 7:30 and we decided to leave James sleeping. This turned out to be an error as he did not go to sleep until gone 11:00 that night and was up at 5:30 the next morning, cue tired grumpy little boy all day, but that was a problem for the next day. The tent was up and we were settled drinking tea by 8:00, including getting the little man up. A good result.

I had bought an inflatable sofa for our camping trip last year. Lyns mocked me mercilessly about this for several weeks before we went away. However, once she realised how comfortable it was the mocking ceased and we now fight over it. As you can see, she made herself very comfortable tea in hand!!

James still has not managed to find the knack of sitting in the sofa. He finds it even harder to get out!

After we had put the tent up and I had Lyns and James suitably comfortable, it was time to fire up the oven and cook our pizzas. Forty mins later we were filling ourselves with pizza and dough balls. By this point we realised that James was not tired anymore so we tried to put him to bed several times but, no, he had other ideas. We had him in bed by 11 and then Lyns and I flopped into bed to, exhausted.

"You should be asleep you little rascal!!!"

The next morning saw us up at 5:30 and probably the whole of the campsite as well as. James was in a mega grump. He was shouting and screaming and making demands at the top of his voice. Lyns and I could do nothing right. No one said anything, however, once we had had our breakfast, sausage butties, and we headed out to Helmsley Castle, you could almost hear the collective sigh of relief from all the people remaining behind as they were going to get some peace and quite.

We headed to Helmsley Castle. Clash of Knights was on, promising archery and knights fighting. We had to buy a £1.35 ticket each for this, being English Heritage members, but I did not think this was too unreasonable. We arrived in Helmsley around 11:00 and got one of the last few parking spaces. Had we have arrived twenty minutes later there was not a parking space to be found in the whole town. James had fallen asleep en route so we sat in the car for half an hour or so to let him get a little sleep but more importantly, reduce our suffering later in the day.

Once we had roused James, we equipped our young knight with his sword and headed off to the castle. After collecting our programme as we went it, which also served as our ticket, we saw that the archery was on first. What I did not realise was that over the course of the day each knightly team would collect points and the winning team at the end of the day got the hand of the fair maiden... well no they did not, they got a bottle of mead to share, but the idea of fighting for the hand of a fair maiden somehow seems more fitting.

After we had seen the archery, there was a small gap before the next event. This was a children's session, where they got to learn to sword fight. James did not want to do this. I must say, the knight leading the session was amazing, so patient with the children and was a pleasure to watch the way he handled them all. It was not until later that I realised it was the same gent as I had seen at Richmond Castle earlier in the year and he was just as good there.

After that, we saw our first taste of knightly combat. There was a brief display where a knight was dressed in his amour, this was interesting but not really suitable for James as he did not understand, however, this did not last long. Into the arena stepped The Anvil. A giant among men, he towered over his opponent and with that battle commenced.

The clash of metal upon metal rang out as it would have done almost a hundreds of years ago

Now, they said that the result was not predetermined but this battle happened twice over the day and each time the Blue Knight, Lord Fancypants, won. I mean come on, the Anvil would have flattened him! It was a wonderful spectacle to see and they both went at it for all they were worth. You could see the effort going into it.

After this it was time for the main event before lunch. Team on team combat. there were four best of three bouts. Each team of six fought two of the other teams on a semi final / final basis. The idea was to knock the helm off the opposition knight with the clubs they carried. Initially it did not see that actioned packed, but as the day wore on, the passion got greater and the hits got bigger. The momentum these knights carried when on full charge was amazing. How they kept going all day was amazing, especially as some of them were in full mail and wearing full helms.

The gold team start strong flattening the opposition helm bearer

A touching moment when the two captains embraced before a bout. It turned out they were plotting how to make the best spectacle of the next round much to the cheers of all the people around the arena.

It would appear the helm bearers did not value their honour that much as they spent the whole bout running from any opposing knights. That being said, with The Anvil bearing down on me, I would be running to.

At the end of these bouts, the red team were holding the most points. More importantly for us, it was time to go and get an ice cream. Luckily for us, there is an amazing Ice-cream company based in Helmsley, namely Ryeburn of Helmsley. We took the short walk from the castle to their cafe and wow it was amazing. The choice of flavours was astounding. I went for white chocolate, raspberry and pistachio. Lyns went for cookies and cream and cinder toffee, two different ice creams, and James, as expected, went for chocolate. It was a lovely break and thoroughly enjoyed.

I think Lyns here is enjoying it a little too much

The far away look of a boy who's ice-cream has taken him to distant shores

The idea is to eat it, not wear it. The sign of a happy boy

After we had all demolished our ice creams it was back to the castle. We had to get back in time for the main event, the grand melee. This was similar to the earlier battle, however, all four teams started in the arena and each round a team went out until you were left with two who fought a best of three. Then back to the start and repeat again. How these guys kept going in the heat with all the amour on I will never know but they put on a fantastic show.

Our little knight getting excited (ish) about the main event

The Anvil leading the charge against the gold team

I pitied the gold team helm bearer as he was about to get flattened

The Anvil smashing through the red team ranks like a hot knife through butter

After the battles the red team were declared the winners on points and collected their bottle of mead. The green team however were the fans firm favourite and collected the fans prize, also in the form of a bottle of mead. A very enjoyable day, even if the little man spent a lot of it in a grump.

After the battle was over, we headed back to the camp site. Tonight was a typical 'camping dinner' of sausages and burgers. We fired up the BBQ and settled down to a very enjoyable evening relaxing in the sun. Even James went to bed at a reasonable time and slept through to 8:00 the next morning. He must have been tired.

All ready for bed after his wash from a saucepan, unusual but effective.

Next morning, we began the job of packing up. it is always horrible to be putting the tent away as it signals the end of a lovely time. A family had arrived the night before with two young daughters who had taken James under their wing and he had loved playing with them. The first thing he had said in the morning was 'can I play with the girls?'. It was lovely to watch them all playing, especially as they taught James some games like What's the Time Mr Wolf. He loved it.

Chilling out after all my running around

After the long job of packing the car, albeit not helped by the number of breaks we took to drink tea, we were ready to go. We were meeting nana and grandad for Sunday lunch but we had an hour or so to kill so we headed to the nearby Byland Abbey. Run by English Heritage but free to get in, James loved it. When I say loved it, to him it is a big play ground. He loves climbing up and jumping off the ruins or playing hide and seek. With the abbey more or less deserted, he had the run of the place.

One thing Lyns did do whilst we were there was to plant her rocks. If you follow this new trend it is about spreading some cheer. Effectively you place brightly coloured rocks in out of the way places then tag the location on Facebook with a clue to where they are. Then when people find them, they post a picture on the Facebook page and either keep it or re hide it and the cycle continues. Lyns uses the Facebook page York Rocks, so if you find one of her rocks, please post a picture with the tag #YorkRocks. Below are some clues for James' and Lyns' rocks.

After our brief visit to the abbey, it was time to head to Coxwold and The Fauconberg Arms for lunch. Now, we were due to meet mum and dad for lunch at 1:15 so we thought we would get there for 1:00 so we could beat them. We arrived at 1:03 feeling pretty smug that for once we would arrive before them, alas no, they were there waiting for us!

As it turned out we all ended up having the roast beef Sunday lunch, not to mention the starter and desert as well, and wow, it was amazing. Big portions, friendly staff. Nothing more could have been asked for. If you are ever that way, I would thoroughly recommend it.

Look how much dinner I have ... no problem

After dinner we had five very full people. That was the end of our mini break. Only thing left to do was to pick up Jess. We popped into mum and dads for a cup of tea and to let James have a play with some water bombs in the garden. Unfortunately Jess was on the receiving end of a few, not that she minded a little cold water with it being so hot.

If I sneak up on them, I can get them good.

Before we knew it, we were home, car unpacked and or mini break was over. Back to work for us both the following morning. Where does the time go to. Grumps aside, it was a lovely weekend with lots of fun had by all.

Two Museums and a Restaurant

July 29, 2018 in Days out with James

So today saw the second real wet day of the summer. We have been blessed with weeks of sunshine but all good things must come to an end. With Lyns not working, had the weather have been good we would have headed out somewhere, but with things as they were we decided to head into York. Nana and Grandad had offered to take us out for lunch so bonus. We were not due to meet them until around 12:30 so we got up early and headed in to go to the Castle Museum.

We were all up and going early and were at the park and ride for the second bus of the day, that must be record for us. We were halfway into York when Lyns remembered that in our rush, we had forgotten to let James go to the toilet! Disaster!! Luckily our little man has the world's biggest bladder, it did not stop me dreading him coming out with the infamous words, "Mummy, Daddy, need the toilet". As we were getting off the bus near the Yorkshire Museum and being York Museum Trust members, therefore free entry, we headed there first, under the pretext of seeing the dinosaurs.

We got there a couple of minutes before opening time, not that it mattered as it meant we were some of the first into the museum. After getting our tickets we headed straight to the toilets. Twenty minutes, yes you did read that correctly, later we headed out of there. Bless him, the little man had struggled a little. The comedy bit being that as it was so hot in the disabled toilet, we had left the door open. This meant that anyone walking up and down the corridor outside would have heard floating over the air,"I'm pushing daddy" or, "I'm squeezing really hard". I dread to think what people thought! Anyway after he was all done we headed back up tot he museum itself.

As we were on a tight schedule as the main aim of the day was to go to the Castle Museum, we just had a look round the dinosaur part of our unscheduled stop.

After we had explored the dinosaurs, which I am still a little disappointed with the display, we headed into the lashing rain and off to the Castle Museum. Again though, this was to be a flying visit. We just wanted to go to the Victorian street then it was off to lunch. Where had the morning gone? However, there was time for a coffee / hot chocolate and a piece of cake before we got into the serious business of exploring.

Walking through the exhibitions to get to the street, we took the opportunity to get James to stand behind the chimney sweep cut out. I would love to say he believed us when we told him he would be going up chimneys to clean them if he was not a good boy, however, in one ear and out the other, there is no sweeping needed there. Worth a try though.

Lyns after telling James there were rats!

Do the prison cells offer a day care facility?

After we had had a quick wander round it was time to meet Nana and Grandad for lunch. They had booked a table at a favourite of theirs, La Vecchia Scuola. If you have not been, the restaurant is in the building on Petergate that was once a girl's school, such a lovely building. To make it even better, they have a lovely conservatory that you can sit in to eat. Absolutely stunning, even on a wet, miserable day like today. For once we arrived bang on time but as always, this face greeted us as we walked in...

The face of a man who knows that we will never arrive before him.

The food here is really tasty, we all ate off the set menu, £15.95 for a three course dinner. I had the steak and chips and it was cooked to perfection. All the food was stunning, definitely worth a visit. Lyns and I are now trying to work out how we can go back for an evening meal, just the two of us. James was seriously tired today and it showed as he was a stroppy little monster over lunch. He had no less than three time outs during the hour and a half or so we were there! However, by the time ice cream came around, he had cheered himself up.

Trying not to laugh at the ice cream moustache

After we had finished lunch, it was time for a walk round York. Lyns was looking for a present for here little sister's 21st birthday. We went in a few shops and Lyns has come away with a host of ideas. James by this point was more or less asleep on his feet. Luckily Grandad was on hand...

Suddenly not so tired once Grandad had picked him up

We headed back to the bus stop and home. The little man fell asleep in the car on the way back from the bus, yes we drove to the bus stop but in our defence the weather was horrendous, and had a good hours nap when we got home. The rest of us made the most of this and had a cup of coffee and a chat. All in all, a lovely day out!

One very tired little boy, ready to go home but enjoying being fussed over

They Go Up So Quickly

July 20, 2018 in Days out with James

Just a quick post to share with you an experience I enjoyed with another member of my family, an older member in this case. For Christmas I bought mum and dad a hot air balloon experience. Unfortunately dad did not want to do it so it fell upon me to take mum up. James, Dad and Lyns all came down to see us off. It was an early start with us having to be at the race course for 5:30am!! A shock to all of our systems.

The experience was through Balloon Rides Ltd and I would thoroughly recommend them. Our pilot for the day, Ollie, was really good, very clear with his instructions and still found time to share a joke or two along the way. Very much made the experience what it was and for someone as relatively young as he was, it was amazing!

I'm not going to write too much as I do not want to ruin the experience, for that is what it is, an experience not a ride, for anyone who reads this and will one day do it. Just take it from me, Mum and myself as well as the other three couple in the balloon really enjoyed it and I cannot wait to take Lyns and James, when he is eight, up.

Photos at this time in the morning? Really???

The train station stretching away from us

Amazing how beautiful the city is from 2,600ft with beautiful morning light shining across it

Last but not least, my favourite picture of the morning

Sun, Sea and Steam

July 03, 2018 in Days out with James

So another brilliantly sunny Sunday, I cannot remember the last time we had such a good spell of hot weather, saw us heading to the North York Moors to go on the North York Moors Railway. We had been wanting to do this for a while, but when we last tried to go it was fully sold out. This time saw at least 70 free tickets when we booked online, saving a whole £2 per person. We had persuaded our friend Lydia to be tortured by Lyns' love of all things steam train related and, as her husband was away on a stag do, she leapt at the chance. The only problem was we had booked on the 9:30 train which meant we had to leave at 8, meaning Lyns had to be out of bed by 7!! to make matters worse, she had been to see Paloma Faith at the race course the night before. To help things move a long, I was up early, got James dressed and ready to and Lyns' alarm clock was a chirpy James giving her kisses and cuddles. I can think of worse ways to be woken.

We got on the road early, fearing that the masses would be heading to the beach for the day. We risked the A64 and there was very little traffic. It meant that we were at the station by 8:45 raring to go. I left Lyns with James and popped over to get some drinks from Costa. No better way of cheering up a tired and jaded Lyns than by giving her a hot chocolate. Unfortunately, I had ordered her a cup of tea, thinking the caffeine would be a help. Here was problem number two, the lady in Costa had got out order wrong and given me a decaf tea and as full fat coffee!! DOH!!! Then, to make things even worse, they put so much milk in it, it was undrinkable. My only saving grace was that I had made Lyns a sausage sandwich before we left. At least I had collected a couple of brownie points.

My hot drink is fine mummy - thanks pal!

The boys were loving the train, as it was all a big adventure for them, even Lydia was getting into the spirit of stream train things. We had decided on the first train of the day so we could get to Whitby, have some dinner and have a bit of time for a wander around. It did not quite work out like that, but the intention was there.

Who is more excited do you think??? Closet train spotter??

After the two(ish) hour trip to Whitby which, if you have never been, goes through some stunning scenery on the moors, we jumped off the train and heading into the town. As expected, the town was absolutely heaving. Even though it was only 11:30, we decided to head to get some lunch before it got busier.

When it Whitby, where else is there to go for fish and chips other than the Magpie Cafe. We headed straight there and were shown to a table. No queue at all. Good job we went when we did, by the time we left, they were queueing onto the street. We had a lovely dinner. Lydia and I were strange and had our fish grilled, albeit with sauce and chips, and Lyns had scampi. It was delicious. Then came the question of the obligatory ice-cream at the sea side. Because it was so hot and we were in a lovely air conditioned restaurant, we stayed inside. All the big children had sundaes and the boys had ice-cream and chocolate fish. By the time we had finished stuffing ourselves, it was time to head back to the train. So much for seeing the sea and the beach. One of those things.

Fully fuelled and back on the train.   Lyns bought this stick of rock for a friend.   James dropped it on the floor and it smashed, cue angry words from Lyns, before she promptly left it on the train when we got off at the next stop! — Fully fuelled and back on the train. Lyns bought this stick of rock for a friend. James dropped it on the floor and it smashed, cue angry words from Lyns, before she promptly left it on the train when we got off at the next stop!

Someone was excited to be back on the train

For our trip back we had decided to split it into two parts. This was primarily because the boys were starting to get tired and with it came a few grumps from both of them! I know, I know, you cannot believe it from these two as butter definitely will not melt.

Lydia giving Ted a countdown from three.   For some reason, she managed to get stuck on one when there was some defiance. — Lydia giving Ted a countdown from three. For some reason, she managed to get stuck on one when there was some defiance.

Luckily, Lyns and I had come prepared for this eventuality and we pulled out the super hero capes. These are quickly becoming our standard solution to tired and grumpy little ones. Immediately the boys cheered up and promised to be good.

As we were splitting the return journey into two, we got off in Goathland, famed for being the setting of Heartbeat and more recently Hogsmeade station in Harry Potter. It is a stunning little village, maybe five minutes walk from the station. Lyns was even able to replace the stick of rock that she had left on the train. However, the main reason we chose to stop here, apart from, it being half way, was that there is a play park and we know how the little super heroes love a play park.

Apparently, it is not only the kids that love a play park

Mummy definitely not competing in the coolness stakes

Then, out came the capes again and onto the swing the two super heroes went. With the wind whistling through their hair and capes flying out behind them, they soared backwards and forwards, until mummy super pushing energy ran out.

Over the course of the day, Lydia had shown Lyns how to do boomerangs on Instagram, no idea what they are but apparently they are all the rage. In practical terms, this meant that the boys were made to jump off the toadstools in the playground time and time again, much to their amusement and with much merriment. They boys loved it and Lyns boomeranged to her heart's content.

After the boys had had their fill of the park, we all headed back to the train station. After grabbing a coffee it was back onto the train for the hour or so trip back to Pickering.

Our train arriving in.   For some reason, all the engines we saw throughout the day were travelling backwards — Our train arriving in. For some reason, all the engines we saw throughout the day were travelling backwards

We arrived back just before 6 and, with the sunsetting on a lovely day out, we said goodbye to Lydia and Ted and headed home. James zonked out when his head hit the car seat and we were able to transfer him straight to bed when we got home. A lovely day in the sun, with some wonderful company.

Castle in the Sun

June 28, 2018 in Days out with James

Another beautiful Sunday saw us all at a loose end, yes, all of us. Lyns had a rare Sunday off so we were able to go out as a family. Lyns had suggested Beningbrough Hall, however, I managed to persuade her to venture a bit further. I thought it might be nice to head to Helmsley. A lovely little market town with a castle as well. We headed out in brilliant sunshine and it was not long before we were pulling up outside Helmsley Castle. It is an English Heritage property so, being members it was free to get into. Incidentally, this is where I was hoping to take James later in the year to see the Clash of Knights which, personally, I am really excited about.

We arrived and James was given a lanyard to collect badges on from different properties. We might have accidentally taken two badges but no one seemed to mind. We did not realise when we arrived that there is a quick route into the castle. However, we turned left rather than right and walked the long way round. Not that it mattered as it was a lovely walk through, what was, the moat and we entered the castle through the original gate house.

When we got into the castle we found a boules set. James did not quite get the hang of it, but Lyns and I spent a good hour or so playing whilst James ran around helping collect the balls and chasing after them. As much as it pains me to say it, Lyns won most of the games. Not that she gloated much!

Next it was onto a game of quoits. Lyns did not want to play this, so James and I played. Only problem was, I threw them over the wooden poles, James threw them directly at me! Not sure he is getting these games. He had loads of fun though. One day I will get him playing properly.

After spending a good few minutes dodging out the way of James' wild throws I put the quoits down. More to save my head than anything else. Then of course, with three balls to hand, there is only one thing I could do!

Once I had shown off my juggling prowess, and admitted I could not do four balls, it was on to wandering around the inside of the castle. Here we found some amazing dressing up clothes for James. There was a knight and a princess outfit. James was over the moon, Lyns not so much as she ended up on the receiving end of some charges that King Arthur himself would have been proud of.

I'm gonna get you Mummy, not sure Jazz hands are going to save you though!

There were also a few books knocking around, so once James had finished slaying the enemies, a new word for him, it was time for a quiet story.

After we had finished inside, we had a lovely walk in the sunshine around the other half of the castle. It was only when we got back all the way round that we found the short cut. Nevermind, we will know for next time.

We headed into Helmsley for a spot of lunch. We found a lovely little cafe call the Cocoa House, which did all sorts of sandwiches and snack lunches, all of which looked very good. The owner was very welcoming and was very chatting. The lunch for the three of us, with drinks, came to less that £20 so cannot complain. Only word of warning is that they do not take cards. Other than that, very hard to fault them at all.

Love the cup!   Where can you get them from?? — Love the cup! Where can you get them from??

After we had finished lunch we had a walk round Helmsley itself. There were loads of quaint little shops and we did not have time to look in them all. With the weather being as nice as it was we have to end our day out with an ice cream in the town square. We found someone selling locally(ish) made Brymor Ice-cream. Very tasty indeed.

We had gone to a barbecue the night before and were served some tasty smoked sausages. With the weather being what it was we picked up some sausages from the butchers in Helmsley and headed home to fire up the smoker and, for a first attempt, it was not too bad at all! In the immortal words of Cpl Jones, "Very Tasty, Very Sweet!"

Soaring to the Clouds

June 25, 2018 in Days out with James

So its been almost two weeks since I last posted anything on my blog. It has been a really busy few weeks as work has gone crazy, but that's life. It has meant that I have missed seeing James some evenings and only getting a little bit of time with Lyns, but thats life and a choice we made as a family. What it has meant though is that I have been more adamant about making the most of the time we have had together.

James and I had a day out at the Yorkshire Air Museu m. Lynsey was working so we had a boys day out. Another exciting part of the day was that James was looking after Jimbob Bear, but more about that later. The air museum is located in Elvington, just outside of York, on an old World War Two air field. During the week before James had been to Eden Camp and introduced to the concept of bombs. Now, how do you explain to a three year old what a bomb is and what it is designed for? Of course, there were lots of bombs at the air museum and quickly I had turned them into rockets that send things upwards with an explosion. Not a lie as such but not the whole truth, however, I think there will be plenty of time for him to learn about bombs later in life.

I had been telling James that we were going to the Museum for a couple of days, so by the time we were in the car he was really excited. One good thing about the museum itself is that there are a lot of open areas and once out of the carpark there is no traffic. This meant James was free to run around to his heart's content. As soon as we had arrived he was away and soaring like the planes.

It was great, he burnt off so much energy in the first hour or so, running around like a mad child. I was quite happy just letting him go off and explore and watching him from a distance. Before too long he had found one of the most iconic British planes ever built. I am, of course, talking about a Spitfire. Now James might not understand the significance of the plane, however he listened as I tried to explain that it had helped keep the country safe. Again, another challenge, trying to explain to him what a war was and what the brave people who flew the planes were doing.

If this block was not too high to jump off, there is no chance you would get this photo!

After this it was off to the Harrier simulator. I had promised James a flight in a plane. Disaster though, the simulator was not operational. This was not the end of the world as there were cockpits to sit in with controls that James (and daddy) could play with.

After we had had our fill of the planes inside, it was outside to see some of the bigger planes. There is a fuel tanker / strategic bomber, a radar plane and a Nimrod, apologies, planes were never my forte so no idea what the proper names are. Trying to get a picture of James in front of any was a game of chasing him around and hoping for the best!

After that, it was time to head home to see mummy. Such a lovely place to spend a few hours. I would, however, suggest taking a pack lunch and even your own hot drinks. The dinners being served were very expensive for what they were and my decaf coffee was a small cup, half full of hot water with a teaspoon of Nescafe coffee in it and it cost me £2! When I asked if the cup could be topped up, the answer I got was they were only allowed to put on shot of hot in it. I'll know for the future. Other than that, I had no complaints about the visit. and, if you keep your ticket, which was only £10 per person, you can go back as many times as you want in the year. James and I will certainly be going back.

Oh yes, Jimbob Bear, how could I forget him. James goes to Gymbobs, the older version of Tumbletots, and each week someone gets to take Jimbob Bear hime for an adventure. This week it was James' turn.

Jimbob had a lot more adventures with James over the week, that, however, is a different story.

Nunnington Hall

June 16, 2018 in Days out with James

So it has taken me the best part of a week to get round to writing about our adventure to Nunnington Hall. I am currently mid budget process at work and it has been busy, along with trying to fit in dinner out, spending time with Lyns and James as well as life in general. However, up for a run this morning and now I am sat watching magic school bus with James whilst he eats his breakfast, letting Lyns have a lie in for an hour or so.

Last Sunday, Lyns was on nights so I went and stayed with mum and dad on the Saturday night to give me a little time to go out for a run in the morning. I was up at 4:30 and on the road by 5:00. Nineteen miles and three and half hours later I was back. James had not caused too much chaos but he made the mistake of running to give me a hug when I walked in the house. All I got was 'urrrrrrgh you're all sweaty daddy'. After a quick shower and a spot of breakfast, or three as I was starving, we headed out to Nunnington Hall.

Nunnington Hall is situated out towards Malton as was a very pleasant drive. Parking is in a lovely woodland carpark, might not be so lovely on a wet day, and you walk on a bridge over a stream to get into the grounds. By this time the sun had come out and it was turning into a lovely day. First things first though, lunch. We found a bench in the sunshine and pulled out our picnic. Grabbing a coffee from the coffee shop we had a very pleasant lunch.

Around the picnic benches there was a giant Jenga set as well as a quoits. Dad and I introduced James to this and he had a very fun time throwing the rings around. I do not think he fully got it as grandad and I were hit by the rings more than stake was but thats life.

After James had exhausted himself trowing rings at everything in sight he had a bit of an explore. He was amazed by all the insects living in a tree and loved all the cobwebs everywhere. At the moment he was to know the why, where and how of everything.

After we had finished playing, it was time to explore the gardens a little more. Walking round the next corner, there was croquet on the lawn with deck chairs spotted all over. James was fascinated by the hammers and balls. Grandad and him had lots of fun. Grandad was hitting the balls and James was collecting the balls up and bringing them back. Looking back on it, it was like a game of fetch for James but he had a wail of a time.

Nana directing from her favourite position

After James and Grandad had terrorised all the people sitting having picnics on the lawn, some of those shots went flying, it was time to explore the gardens. There was lots to see, a wild meadow to run through, a bird watching area and a small vegetable garden.

Exploring the potting shed, I found something that caused huge merriment. A couple of skipping ropes. I had a go first, luckily there is no picture evidence, and then Grandad and James had a go.

By now it was getting towards time to head home but first we had to have a look round the house. They had a wildlife photography exhibition on which I found really interesting as the pictures were amazing, but James also found it fascinating. He was amazed by all the macro shots of the insects and the pictures of all the animals. It gave him an opportunity to see animals he would not usually see and to see creatures in a way he would not usually see them.

However, this could not last so we found a lovely little play area in the house that was full of books and toys.

After this, it was time to head back to the car. After driving back to Nana and Grandad's and then a quick car swap, it was back home to see mummy who had been looking forward to seeing James all day.

It was a lovely day out in the sunshine with lots to do. James had oodles of fun, as did we all. James and I will have to take Lyns back at some point, if only to beat her at croquet!

Romans in Eboracum

June 05, 2018 in Days out with James

Two thousand years after they first arrived, the Romans arrived back in York. Luckily for us they came in peace, albeit still waving swords.

After getting up early and heading out for a run, it was a glorious morning early on, I arrived home and showered ready to go out. Much to Lyns' disgust, I made us fifteen minutes late leaving the house. On a plus side we were still in town ten minutes early as the bus and road gods smiled upon us, not sure the Romans had those gods however maybe Mercury, the god of travellers, is the most likely candidate to have blessed our quick passage through the traffic.

Today we were heading into York with some friends to go to the Eboracum Roman Festival, organised by the York Museum Trust. It was held in the Museum Gardens in the centre of York and there was lots to see and do. First things first though, we grabbed a coffee to start the day off. Coffee in hand, we strolled to see what was on offer. The first thing we came across was the mighty Roman Legions drilling.

All authentic until, after using latin words of command, 'Happy Days' drifted over the air

Now, whilst all dressed in shiny armour and carrying glades and scutum, sword and shield, they did not cast fear into my heart. I think Mars would have been chuckling to himself and thank goodness the barbarians were not at the gates. Even still, it was interesting to watch the drills.

After that it was onto the Roman encampment. Lots going on here, all sorts of displays with weapons, spinning and story telling. There was also a trail for the children to do with stamps.

After the stamp, the stabbing began...

After we had all had our fill in the encampment, it was time to head up to the main arena for the forming up of the parade. Before that though, James confessed he was feeling a little tired. As always, Lyns will use any excuse for a cuddle.

Once formed, the legions marched, stopping traffic and people wherever they went. First stop was Betty's Tearoom - well obviously, everyone stops at Betty's when they are in York.

Standing guard, wishing he was allowed in for tea

Following a brief stop at Betty's it was onwards, heading for York Minster. The parade twisted and turned through York, picking up more and more people at every turn. Finally it arrived at the Minster and Ceaser prepared to address his legions. This was a wonderful spectacle, seeing Ceaser on the steps of the Minster with his troops cheering him.

Before too long, it was over and the Legions marched back to the Museum Gardens. We on the other hand marched to lunch as we had two hangry toddlers. Fancying something different we headed to Las Iguanas for a South American themed lunch. What was intended as a light lunch turned into quite a feast. The ambience of the place is lovely and with the weather having turned beautiful, we sat outside.

This is the 'first time I'm the only one not drinking' face

After a lovely lunch we headed back to the Museum Gardens to see what was going on. Unfortunately we had been so leisurely at lunch, the festival had finished. No matter, we had picked up some super hero capes so the two kids ran off whatever energy they had left. Unfortunately, whilst it started sedately, Lyns bore the full brunt of the energy release.

Once the two super heroes had finished 'saving' Lyns, it was time to head home. We had all had a lovely day and was nice to be involved in something different in York, we do not get into the city as often as we should do.

Diesels in the Dales

May 28, 2018 in Days out with James

So today say another stunning bank holiday Monday. Two beautiful bank holidays in one month, what is going on with the weather? I have recently moved jobs and for the first time in about six years I get bank holidays off and what a couple of bank holidays they have been. The weekend started off as a normal Saturday, Gymbobs and swimming. Sunday was different as the little man went to see Nana and Grandad whilst I went and did the Yorkshire Three Peaks. Eight and a half hours later it was done, not a bad time. Lyns has been on nights so she slept Saturday and Sunday. This left us with Monday to go out and do something.

I asked James what he would like to do and he said go on a train. If you are familiar with York, you will know that the North York Moors Railway is the place to go for steam trains. I looked on their website and unfortunately their morning train to Whitby was sold out. Not wanting to risk it and arrive without being guaranteed a seat I had to find another railway for the little man.

A quick google later and I had found the Wendsleydale Railway. Now, this is a different kettle of fish to the NYMR and I imagine they are tired of being compared. They only run diesel engines, apart from the odd occasion, running from Leeming Bar to Redmire. That being said, the reviews on trip advisor looked good so 10 o'clock saw us standing on the platform, tickets in hand.

It was very quiet on the first train of the day, maybe twenty people or so. It was a very pleasant train ride and once you got into the dales the views were spectacular. If you were to compare it to the NYMR then you would say it was no where near as polished, the stations were not as nice and the carriages needed a little more tlc. That being said, all the staff were very pleasant and the trip was very enjoyable.

Lynsey wishing I would not take photos when she is post nightshift, when I say wishing, I mean threatening violence

Lyns finally having a go with the camera and me really needing a shave, I wish I could grow that much hair elsewhere on my head

The trip through to Redmire takes about an hour. When you get there, you have the option to stay and get a later train home, or to take the train back. The return ticket allows you to ride the train for as long as you like on any given day. There are a lot of nice walks to do from Redmire, including to Castle Bolton. Neither Lyns or I felt like a walk today and we had not brought the buggy so it was back on the train, for the fifteen minute ride into Leyburn.

The excitement was all too much for them

Any excuse for a cuddle, when I drool on Lyns, all I get is grief

After the short trip / nap back to Leyburn, we jumped off the train, or staggered as was my case, as my legs are like jelly today. Nana and Grandad lived in Leyburn for a few years after following me up to Yorkshire once they realised I was not going to return after uni, so we know the town reasonably well.

As it was almost lunchtime and James was getting hungry we had to find somewhere for lunch. We had a look in a few places in the town square and settled on the Posthorn. The food was very nice and the service very quick, especially as we had been told in several other places the wait would be around an hour. If I had to say something negative about the food it would be that they had used cold beef with warm gravy in my hot beef sandwich, however nothing worth complaining about. Lyns had a tuna sandwich and James had sausage and chips. All in all very nice, with three meals and three drinks coming to £25 which I did not think was too bad.

After we had had lunch we took a stroll to the Inspired Chocolate Factory as well as the Teapottery. The chocolate factory is a chocolate lovers dream with every possible flavour and combination of flavours that you could ask for. There is a cafe there and they run chocolate workshops. The chocolate is more expensive that your usually chocolate, £3.50 for a 100g bar, but that is what you would expect for its artisan nature and it is very nice. James had a lolly and Lyns and I had a bar of the milk chocolate with fudge inclusions to share. After this, it was round the corner to the ceramics place. I have never seen tea pots like it, there was every possible shape, size and design. I am not going to try and describe them as I will not do them justice, but have a look on their website, truly amazing.

After this it was back to the train for the 45 minute trip back to Leeming Bar.

Our trusty steed arriving into Leyburn station

The journey home was done in brilliant sunshine, the trip out having been done in mist, and James spent most of the time looking out of the window. Lyns on the other hand slept most of the way back, catching up from night shifts.

All in all it was a lovely day out, a very different experience to other heritage railways as this felt more like a normal train service but nonetheless it was enjoyable and we would definitely do it again.

They Soar Through the Air

May 08, 2018 in Days out with James

Another beautiful day that started off with a run. Still being sore from yesterday's long one, it was slow four miles this morn, but that did not matter as we were still at Nana and Grandads so it was lovely running through the countryside, rather than through the town.

Once home, there was time to grab a green smoothie, help Lyns get the little man up and off we went. Today we were heading to T he Falconry Centre near Thirsk. They have three flying displays a day and because it was a bank holiday there was lots to do in between displays. £7 for adults and threes and under were free so £14 for a full day of fun, bargain. Whilst the displays were not on, you were free to wander around and look at the birds.

One thing that I learnt during the day is that I am not a wildlife photographer, or if I was to be, I would need a lot of practise. I managed to get the sum total of no photos from the first display. Not that it mattered. There were birds jumping all over the show and mixing with the visitors. James really enjoyed it. After the display there was a chance for the 'children' to hold the birds.

All the 'children' crowded round to hold the owls.

After the excitement of holding the owl, it was time to grab lunch. James went for a play in the sand pit whilst I headed back to the car to grab the lunch. There were plenty of tables and chairs to use for lunch, no one minded at all if you brought your own which was nice, but only a few with umbrellas. Not that it mattered as by the time James had finished playing, a table was free.

"Don't like French Fries" he said before demolishing the pack.

After our picnic, it was back to see the next display. Here they had three of my favourite birds, a bald headed eagle, a golden eagle and a white tailed sea eagle. These magnificent birds were soon soaring over us. Luckily, I had a bit of a better hit rate in the flight session with my photos, probably helped that the birds were a little bigger.

One thing that shone through was the passion and knowledge that Kerry had for the birds, this was reflected in all the staff at the site. You could clearly see that they cared deeply for the birds and anything you asked them, they knew. Very impressive and fantastic to see.

By the end of this display, James was getting a bit restless, not because he was not enjoying it, rather because he wanted to play in the sand pit again. There was plenty of time between displays so off we went to build sand castles. When I say build sand castles, what I mean is that Lyns and I would build them and then see how long we could keep them standing as James did everything he could to destroy them. This caused much merriment as it then became a competition between Lyns and myself to see who could persuade James to destroy the other's castle.

By this point we were all getting a little hot. As if by magic there came a shout that there had been a fresh delivery of ice creams, what good timing! Off we headed for an ice cream and a cup of tea. Strange combination but it worked. A very relaxing half an hour spent slurping and licking and that was just Lyns and I. James managed to end up wearing a fair amount of his mini milk but thats part of being a toddler, nothing a baby wipe or two could not solve.

Before we knew it, it was time for the final display of the day. By this point, the heat had taken its toll and there were not many people left, not that it mattered as Kerry and the team gave as energetic a show as the first one, even though they had been working hard in the sun all day.

It flew in about a foot over our heads, such power

At the end of the final display they flew a huge vulture. After all the other birds behaving themselves throughout the day, Ringo decided that he preferred the cool of the shade on the other side of the valley. Actually it was because he did not like turning to fly with the wind as he gets too much speed up, but I like to think he stopped to chill out in the shade. At this point the show was over. The children play area was closed at this point as it was right in Ringo's flight path when he decided to return. Would it have been so bad for James to have played in the sand and run the risk of becoming Ringo's dinner... what's the worst that could happen. When I suggest this to Lyns, I was promptly told that this was not good parenting so we packed James up and headed off to where the children were holding another bird.

Another chance for the 'children' to hold a bird

To be fair to Lyns, where she had wanted to hold the barn owl, we almost persuaded James to hold this little chap. However, he decided at the last minute he did not want to. I am sure next time he would hold one.

We all had had a lovely day but again, too soon, it was time to head home. We headed back to Nana and Grandad's for dinner, they had spoilt us rotten this weekend, and for James to have one final play in the paddling pool. What a lovely way to finish off a very enjoyable bank holiday weekend.

A Day in the Sun

May 06, 2018 in Days out with James

Wow, what a day today was! The weather was perfect, warm and sunny with a nice gentle breeze. My day started at 5:30, up and out for a 14 mile run up and along Sutton Bank from Boltby. I am wanting to do the Yorkshire Three Peaks later this year so up and down the bank I went three times. Beautiful weather and stunning views.

When I got back to Nana and Grandads, they had been looking after James as Lyns was working nights, it was into the garden to sit down for a few minutes before heading to wash the grime of my run off. However, in those few minutes, we all decided that a BBQ was the order of the day. One trip to Easingwold later with Nana, we return with all the ingredients for home made burgers, mmm mmm mmm.

I cam back to find James and Grandad hard at play in the garden. The paddling pool was out and James was loving playing in it in the sun.

And of course, no day playing in the sun with the paddling pool out could go by without at least one water fight.

Now James being James loves to shoot everyone else however he tired very quickly of getting shot himself. This resulted in lots of choruses of 'stop it,' that was until he worked out that if he waited until the person he was shooting ran out of water he could run in, launch a lightening strike and be gone again, that was until he ran out of water himself!

I retired at this point to make the burgers, but sounds of shrieking from everyone floated into the kitchen. Sounded like they were all having a wonderful time.

Meanwhile, Grandad had fired up the BBQ and in no time at all we had a platter of sausages, burgers and steak! A lovely treat.

By the time we ate, 5:30 so not too late, James was looking like the walking dead. At one point Lyns and I were prodding him to keep him awake. It was not until Nana told him he had Jelly for dessert that he perked up and got his second wind.

After dinner, James was let loose with the hose to water the garden and apart from one unfortunate incident, Nana got drenched, he was very well behaved and did a wonderful job of watering the garden.

Having failed to keep Nana dry, Lyns took a more hands on controlling role.

A long but lovely day. Not sure how it could have been any better. Oh wait, James was a good boy at bed time, a shower, story and minimal fuss over teeth cleaning. Just as well really, as the way my legs are feeling, he could have run rings round me and I would have been powerless to do anything to stop him! Luckily he did not work it out so shush.... lets not tell him!

A Cheeky Little Bonus

April 28, 2018 in Days out with James

So a Saturday is usually a day of Gym Bobs in the morning and then swimming in the afternoon, with a little fun along the way. However, as I went to load the little man into the car, I could not find the car seat. Lyns had taken it to work!!! Not that I could be annoyed as I have done it time enough, even on three consecutive days in one instance. This meant that James and I had a bonus day together to do something. Bundling him into the buggy while he was still in the mood to go out, we headed to the bus stop.

Now, James it not shy when it comes to speaking about what he sees. As we were getting onto the bus he had a quizzical look on his face and was unusually quiet. I did not think anything of it. However, just after we sat down, his little voice rang out across the bus, "Daddy, why does that lady have a hairy face?". He had spotted an old lady who, to be fair, was sporting an impressive white beard. Luckily she had not heard, but there were a few laughs from the people sat around me! I was mortified.

After that, the rest of the trip was uneventful. We arrived in York in time for lunch. I gave James the choice and he chose fish and chips, one of his favourites. We found a fish and chip shop, James had fish goujons, five good sized pieces of fish, and I have a small fish and chips as I am trying to lose a bit of weight and get fit. My fish was a good size, but as I unwrapped I thought they had forgotten the chips, alas no, the fifteen chips that I had were hidden under the fish. By the time James had had his share, the James tax as we call it in our household, there were only the scraps left for me. At least he is helping me cut down. It was very pleasant sat in the Minster Gardens eating our lunch. It is somewhere we go quite often when we are in town and eating a picnic lunch.

The winner of the biggest mouthful is ...

How much can one little boy fit in his mount?

After we had eaten lunch we went to have a look around the Castle Museum. James loves exploring in there, especially the victorian street. There is so much for him to do and to see. He cannot take it all in. Because we were late into town, we did not have a huge amount of time as Nana and Grandad were coming for dinner. As we are YMT card holders, it does not matter if it is only a short visit.

This time, the first place we stopped for a look was the room that shows some of the fashions through the ages. James was not so much interested in the clothing, rather the cat walk which he loved running up and down.

Next it was onto the victorian street. Instantly I could tell James has visited here far too often recently as he knew how many carriages there are and took me to see each one in turn. Every time though, I think he finds something different to look at. Today he was intrigued by the toilets.

The other place James spent a lot of time today was in the prison cell. He loved opening and closing the big iron gate.

The last bit we looked round today was the World War One display. I always find this very difficult as James asks what happened to all the people and wants the memorials reading out to him. Very hard to explain to a toddler the concept of death, so we tell him that all the people have gone up to the stars. Lyns has a lovely way of remembering those who are no longer with us and every time she sees a robin, it is granny coming back to see us. James knows of this so as I read all the names to him, he looked at me very seriously and told me that all the people would be going to see their families as a robin so that they could see them again and then they would not be sad. You have got to marvel at how simply a child sees the world and how amazing it is to start experiencing the world again through them.

It was then off to play in the trench tunnel and the hollowed out tree.

By now we had run out of time. Back to the buggy, onto the bus and home. James saw none of this because, as soon as I sat him in the buggy, he had fallen asleep. Half an hour later we were home and I was enjoying a drink whilst James had a snooze. Another successful day of wearing him out done.

St. George and the Dragon

April 22, 2018 in Days out with James

Today saw us off to Richmond Castle with Nana and Grandad, Lynsey was on nights, as they had some re-enactments on for Saint George's day. Before we left I had got up to go for a run and the morning was beautiful, the sun was shining and it looked as if the good weather of the past few days was set to continue. With this in mind, I donned shorts and T-shirt and put James in shorts too. On a whim, I picked up a jumper for the little man, what a lucky break that was. By the time we had got to Richmond, the wind was picking up and the temperature had dropped. I was in for a cold day! First things first though, after the long climb up to the castle from the river, where we had parked, it was off to The Kings Head for a coffee. There was no holding back James with his hot chocolate.

With Nana, Grandad and James satisfied, it was time to head off to the Castle. James lead the way, sword in hand, just to keep us all safe from any dragons that might cross our path, luckily none appeared but, I for one, am glad we had our bodyguard.

When we arrived, we were in time to see the first of the three displays for the day. This was the infantry tactics. James was a little apprehensive of all the people dressed in medieval outfits, I was not however, so I got stuck in, leaving James with Nana and Grandad.

A fearsome sight, luckily there was a thin rope barrier keeping us safe from them.

As the soldiers headed off to lunch after an exhausting morning of slashing the air, it was time for us to dig out the food.

After a brief lunch break, it was time for the telling of Saint George's story. The re-enactors involved were amazing. So enthusiastic and full of energy. The two of them held the crowd wonderfully, with no one wanting to take their eyes away. A wonderful telling of the story and very entertaining. Personally, my favourite part was the sword fight, no surprises there.

It was not long though before James built a little bit of courage up, after his earlier apprehension, and got into the swing of things. Sword in had he led the charge.

Before long, James was fighting all comers, be it tree or human. Now, at the start of the day, Nana had asked why I had not given him his wooden sword, when she saw the state of Grandad and I afterwards, I hoped she could see why. Last time James had his wooden sword, I kept hold of the wooden shield and it was the only thing that had stopped me having my head removed from my shoulders!

By this time, the wind had picked up and was starting to bite. James had tired and sat in the buggy to eat a gingerbread man, wrapped up in a blanket. It was the archery display, so off to the range we headed. Nana was feeling the cold a lot so she headed to the exhibition to warm up, shortly followed by Grandad and James. I braved out the display in my shorts and t-shirt, boy it was cold. Again, another informative display and the narrator got the increasingly chilling crowd hooked.

French Knights, my long bows will destroy them.

After the display I headed over to find the rest of the family and this is what I found ...

It was all too much for the little man and he had zonked out in the buggy once he had got into the warm.

A lovely day out, with lots of fun had by all.

Bunnies, Bonnets and Eggs

April 19, 2018 in Days out with James

So a belated Easter posting. Lynsey arranged an Easter egg hunt with a group of friends, all with little ones. How hard could it be herding 8(ish) toddlers around on a mad hunt for chocolate?? We were about to find out.

It all started a week or so earlier with an Easter bonnet making session. Lyns was in charge of the glue and James did the placing. One hour of hard work and the bonnet was all set. You tell me what you think, but I think the pair of them did a good job!

Even the mums and dads got involved with the bonnets!

If you show this to any one, there will be trouble!!! Oops!

Anyway, back to the egg hunt. The whole gang arrived at Homestead Park in York, bright eyed and bushy tailed with a lot of grand parents in tow. Now when I say bright eyed and bushy tailed, that was the children, the parents were showing the stress of making bonnets and the thought of chasing the kids round on the hunt. However, once it was known that there was gin cake, yes gin cake, the roles reversed with choruses of mummy daddy as the parents tried to sniff the cake out. After a quick play in the park, the hunt was a foot, for the kids that is.

Then came the hardest part of the day... The group photo. The best I managed were six in one picture. There were moments with the opportunity to get more in a picture, but I was not quick enough to grab the picture. Poor show on my part. At this point there was chocolate flying left, right and centre. No chance left of getting a full group shot so we slowly meandered our way back to the park for more cake, sorry, I mean so the kids could play some more.

It was soon time to wrap up as it was a cold day and the little ones were starting to feel it. It was a lovely morning, all the kids enjoyed as did the everyone else. Hopefully this will become an annual tradition, eating gin cake that is - the egg hunt, well we shall just have to wait and see!

Paul’s Blog:

Featured posts: