Holiday in Yorkshire

Hiya! :) Anyone wondered where I've been? I'm back now. We had a wee break away for just over a week. Peter thought that maybe we could squeeze in a short holiday before the hay fever season starts (which makes him feel pretty miserable in the summer) and that we needed a break after getting rather exhausted with a few weeks of ill children (and parents!) etc. So I did lots of web hunting and managed to find a self catering house for the first 4 days and then Peter phoned some people we knew in another place and managed to secure a self catering cottage for the remaining 3 nights we needed (it seemed *everything* in Ykshire was booked up for the bank holiday weekend).

Anyway, everything seemed perfect! We went to Fort William for the weekend of 24/25 May and stayed with my family. Anna (who my dad is engaged to) was there as well, so Abigail & Benjamin got to meet her for the first time, which was nice - and they liked her too! :) Then early on Monday (26 May) we headed south to England, where we stayed in Sowerby Bridge (Yorkshire). On Tuesday we decided to go to the National Railway Museum in York (great fun for Abigail especially!). Then on Wednesday we were planning to go see friends in Barnoldswick. We headed off in good time but only got as far as Halifax (the next town/city over) before we realised the car's speedometer wasn't working, and then the power steering failed briefly! We tried in vain to find a Fiat dealer (or authorised repairer) there locally but eventually located one in a town that was en route to Barnoldswick and they said they could look at it later that afternoon. So we went for lunch as planned with friends and then afterwards the children and I stayed at their house while Peter took the car to the dealer and got a hire car from Enterprise etc. He was gone for several hours and only got back barely in time to go to our other friends' house for dinner! We thought the car would be ready the next day (only needing a speed sensor and new battery), however it turned out the part didn't come in on Thursday and when we eventually went for it on Friday (the day we were leaving the area to go stay in a different town) we were told they hadn't a clue what the problem was - still not working after the new parts were installed! So Friday was spent (many hours sitting in the car, which was crammed with all our bags, etc!) waiting for the RAC (breakdown recovery) to come (after we'd taken our car from the dealer) and they eventually picked it up & towed it back to Scotland, and we had to continue our holiday with the hire car. It wouldn't be so bad except that I'm only a "learner" driver here in the UK and I can't drive a hire car - so all the driving was left to Peter! (In the end, after we got back this week - our local dealer was able to fix the car - only a broken wire - but took them 3 hours to locate it!) Anyway, after the car was sorted (late afternoon) we headed for our final destination - Reeth - a most beautiful place! :) And it's extra special since we stayed just outside of Reeth on our honeymoon! ;-) So it was nice to be back there again. The house was lovely & cosy - very welcoming - (a nice change from the previous place we were at, which really needed a face lift and some dusting!). We managed to get something to cook for dinner in the tiny local shop before they closed and so had a meal before it got too late! It is so nice & peaceful there (as you'll see in the photos to follow below). On Saturday we spent the first part of the day in Richmond though Peter started feeling unwell in the afternoon and ended up sleeping when we got back, but seemed to recover fairly by evening. We spent the Lord's day with the Mohons and were at church with them in Stockton. It was lovely and encouraging to see everyone again and enjoy their fellowship. Peter started feeling unwell again in the evening and was getting a bit of chills/fever etc. However, the next morning we headed off (tho he was in bed late & I had all the packing to do etc) - I knew it was going to be a difficult day since he had to do all the driving back to Scotland while he wasn't well. We got home at 11pm - a long day, though it seemed to go smoothly.

As I said in the beginning, we thought we could use a break after getting run down with colds/viruses. However, as it turns out, we all came home with something else! :( Abigail's had a tummy bug - vomitting several times (once at 2am in her bed, which was an awful mess and traumatic for her!). Benjamin is full of a cold (tho thankfully not as chesty as the one he had before we left which went to an infection). I've had a cold as well, though have been thankful I was well enough to look after everyone else! Especially as Peter was rather seriously ill - it turns out he obviously had some sort of urinary infection, though we thought it was just some sort of ordinary virus at first. He kept having fever, severe sweating, chills, and just being generally exhausted ever since we got home, and getting worse rather than better. He'd been in bed most of the time as well. By yesterday (Thursday) morning he was looking pretty bad - and it became even more clear when he fainted!! I managed to catch his head and hold him up until he came round again (about 90 sec prob). It was rather scary and I wasn't sure what to do should I need to run get water or something to make him wake up - especially as he was sitting on the edge of his computer chair without anything behind his back, and worse still, was inside a "baby cage" (the gate enclosure we have around his computer to keep Benjamin out of it!). Thankfully he woke up and cooled down. I took him to the doctors shortly there after and they've given him a course of antibiotics (yes, I think that's all doctors are good for!). However, they're obviously working and he's out of bed today and looking nearly normal again - so yay! :) Now I just hope the children are about recovered as well. Nearly 6 weeks of illnesses (with only a very few days of semi-wellness) is rather heavy going!

....Phew! Well done if you've managed to get through reading the above introduction/rambling about our holiday! If only I knew how to be concise! Anyway, here are the photos - split across two postings.

In Fort William before we headed further south - Benjamin learning to skateboard!!! He looked so natural on it - I don't think anyone told him what to do - he just did it!

Just arriving at the National Railway Museum in York - you can see excitement in Abigail's eyes as she points to trains! :) BTW, the museum is the largest of its kind in the world and is totally free!! It's huge and you could spend all day there and still not really see everything!

Benjamin also enjoying it - pointing to something interesting, obviously!

Trains

Taking big steps as he runs across the museum - I think he looks rather grown up for a mere 14 month old!

Me & the children (tho I look pretty awful in this photo - I think I was rather tired by this point)

The Wheel in York (by the museum) though we didn't go on it

Benjamin & Abigail waiting in the car when we first realised it had problems, while Peter went to try and find out where the Fiat dealer was

Wakefield Cathedral, dating from the 14th & 15th centuries, if I remember correctly

Wakefield Cathedral again

Benjamin & Abigail again - looking rather hot and tired - it was very warm the afternoon we walked round Wakefield

Yorkshire holiday - part 2

Remaining photos from our holiday! :)

Bolton Castle - built in 1399

A beautiful view at sunset in Reeth - we took a walk after dinner on Friday night and it was so peaceful and relaxing. Just the sounds of birds, sheep & cows! :)

We found a park at the end of the road where we were staying. Abigail & Benjamin were delighted to get a chance to stretch their legs & play - especially after spending nearly the whole day in the car!

Having lots of fun! :)

The very adventurous little boy who always has to try something different (and daring!).

A cow - obviously! :)

Reeth Suspension Bridge

Another view along our evening walk

Reeth Suspension Bridge again

Looking out from the end of the bridge

So, that's the end of my photos! Nothing too exciting, but shows a bit of what we did & saw. Goodnight for now.

Still alive...

Seeing as it's nearly 2 weeks since I was last seen on here, I thought I should post a few lines so my few readers don't think I've decided to quit blogging! Sorry for the lack of posts, and also sorry to anyone who's left me a comment & I've failed to respond. I am always glad to hear from you all, but the past 2.5 weeks have been quite hectic and there's lots of thing I haven't done.

The main reason for a rather difficult 2.5 weeks is that the children have been unwell (well, Benjamin in particular). Abigail was the first to get it - tiredness & a temp for a few days and then cold like symptoms - but it didn't seem to affect her that much. Benjamin got it a few days after her, with a temp for 3-4 days (once as high as 102.4F) and then he also started coughing etc once the fever left. He went off foods for about 2 weeks (really, hardly eating a drop of anything - just lots & lots of mummy's milk - which to keep a 28+lb 14mo boy from being hungry means a rather tired mummy! especially when he's not sleeping much - apart from in my arms - so that's less sleep for me too! But whenever my babies are unwell, I'm always thankful to be able to have a ready supply of something wonderfully healthy to keep their tummies full & happy!) Anyway, his coughing was really bad a lot of the time (mostly evenings/nights) and he would frequently gag and end up vomitting. As a result, any tiny bits of food I managed to get in him occasionally were usually lost. :( Anyway, by the end of nearly two weeks he seemed to finally be improving and was starting back on foods etc. - much to my relief, as I was feeling I couldn't possibly cope with many more days like that (esp since I'd now come down with a cold!). However, on Tuesday it seemed he had a turn for the worse and the cough was getting lots worse. We took him to the doctors and now he's on a course of antibiotics. I really didn't want him to have any, but since it seems he developed a chest infection and wasn't getting better, I felt it was necessary. Within 12 hours it seemed he was already improving and he's lots better now, even if his chest is still quite noisy (and nappy rash from the antiBs!). But thankfully no more bad coughing and no vomitting at all since he's been to docs, so big relief! :)

So, apart from looking after children, I haven't done a lot else! On the days that were warm & sunny we spent lots of hours outside. Benjamin is sure to always be happy if he's in the great outdoors. :) Here are some pics, taken randomly since my last post.

Playing in the garden on a particularly warm, sunny & beautiful afternoon

Riding a cow together: best friends! :)

A rather hot looking Benjamin!

A cute smile for mummy, from the opposite end of the tunnel!

At first glance you might think he's upset, but really he's laughing hysterically - they were having so much fun together!

Together again!! Colouring pictures - as you can see, they really do spend a lot of time with each other and always miss the other if one is sleeping!

Like father, like son! Benjamin wants to help with the painting .... think it would be rather messy! lol

Our little helpers - cleaning up the old chipped paint from the porch/path! And it was all their own idea too - guess they thought it looked rather a mess .... if only they had the same idea about the millions of toys, books, clothes & other items they throw all over the house! :)

Abigail showing her new hair bows

Playing with "punch ball" balloons (though the balloons didn't have a very long life!).

Well, must head for bed. Have lots to do tomorrow - will try to get something up here again before tooooo long!

Summer has arrived in Scotland!!

Yes, the title says it - summer is here! Ok, maybe only a 3 or 4 day summer, but still it's lovely & warm and just absolutely perfect weather. The sun has been shining nearly all week (I think) and the warmth just makes everything (and everyone!) come alive! :) Abigail & Benjamin have probably spent more hours outside than in! Not sure what the temps have been, but upstairs in the house it's got up to 75F, though the downstairs seems to stay quite cool most of the time.

Nothing much out of the ordinary happening - just the usual work of selling books and all that it involves. And in between book orders etc I've been spending a fair bit of time outside with the children, or nearby to keep an eye on them, and a bit of sewing too (making another skirt for Peter's mum, etc).

Yesterday was the monthly homeschool meetup in Inverness. It was nice to see everyone again and the kids got to play together with other little ones. Benjamin always has fun playing with his little friend - the boy who was born on the same day as him! :) We went through on the train, as usual. Not sure though that trains are so good for hot days - it was sooooo hot inside. The train coming back did have the windows open, but it never got going fast enough to do much good. So by the time we got back and walked home we were rather overheated! I stopped in Woolworths to get a small paddling pool for Abigail & Benjamin (in the hope that Abigail could cool down with it & stay occupied while I got the book orders packed up & post done) but she fell asleep before we even got home & slept for 2 hours! Not sure if it's some sort of illness that is making her so sleepy this week or if she has hayfever - but she seems to be falling asleep most days (and still ready to go to bed early-ish at night) - one day she just collapsed on the couch & slept for hours. She's got sore/sad looking eyes & keeps rubbing them, so I worry it's hayfever or similar allergy! :( Guess we'll have to wait & see if it continues.

So...now it's time for some photos! Probably most all of them will be outdoor shots, and all taken this week!

Always with a car/truck/train in hand! He's really into things with wheels and will spend *ages* looking at books about them!

Running in the garden - he's really getting up to speed with his walking, and very fast too!

Enjoying an ice cream on Tuesday in the hot weather.

Later on Tuesday we did some baking (changed her out of the winter dress she was wearing in the morning in the pic above!). We got a DK published Angelina Ballerina My First Cookbook from the library and it has lots of yummy treats to make. Angelina is a mouse but the book has photos of little girl's doing the baking and it's really sweet/cute - all dainty/feminine looking girls making tea-party style goodies. So we made some cupcakes!

Here's Abigail filling the cup cake papers - she started doing it *all* by herself - before I even told her what she was meant to be doing! Her stuffed cat Pilchard is closely watching her! lol :)

And the finished product! The cakes were actually very very yummy! I'd previously bought boxes of cupcake mixes for her to do (with various kiddy decorations/characters) but the cakes always tasted like paper - yuck. However, this recipe was really good and buttery! Only made 12 cakes, but really the ideal amount if you just want a quick kitchen activity with a little one. So, I'll be writing down the recipe to make another time. :)

Car in hand again! :)

Playing football in the back garden - Tuesday afternoon

Night time sky on Wednesday, I think

A funny face from Benjamin (on Thursday)

Some of you might not think this looks like Scotland (bare feet and shorts) - especially when it was nearly 6pm - but it really was that warm! Benjamin is watering some plants, with a neighbor boy looking on through the gate.

Abigail and the pool - though the water comes out of the taps *very* cold, so they weren't able to actually get in - at least not with the sun gone away by then. Maybe later today...if they wake up! Both are napping again - wonder when the sleepiness will ever go away! Well, a nap is normal for Benjamin just now - but Abigail's not done regular naps for about 5 months now!

Well, I'd better head off - need to have so lunch. Wow - a daytime post from me - might be a first! :)

Dad's Engaged!!!

Congratulations to Dad and Anna!!

Exciting news - they got engaged last night (Friday, 2 May). Some of my blog readers won't even know he was seeing anyone, so even bigger news for you! :) Anyway, no date yet for the wedding, though I'm thinking it will be sooner rather than later! ;-) Here's a photo of them below (pic taken by my sister Sarah, I think):


So now that the exciting news is out, probably no one will bother reading any further! LOL I don't actually have anything to say, as I must get to bed. But always must post a few pics of my little ones!

Here's a lovely pic of Abigail (and B in the background). Taken by Sarah when we were in Fort William last weekend.

Benjamin - isn't he beautiful?! :) He looks so grown up here - I think he looks quite like his Daddy (as a young man, rather than a baby)!

The ever climbing Benjamin - he carried Abigail's potty all around the house and finally found this ideal place to put it so he could attempt to look out the window. Poor thing - all the windows are up soooo high - and he just *loves* to look out and watch the birds. He's a bit bird crazy at the moment and would probably spend hours in a window just looking out for them!

The seedlings (and strawberry plants) which Abigail and I are growing. We've got all sorts of things growing and the warm days we've had lately are helping them to come on. At least being up on tables in the shed keeps the pests from destroying them (the back garden is *full* of slugs, snails and woodlouse - yuck!).

Peek-a-boo - can you find me?! Abigail didn't want her picture taken, so she hid behind a rose bush - the result was a very cute pic! :)

Benjamin today - sitting in a very small space!

OK, to bed I go. :)