A day off with Mum.
She took a leaf out of Dads book and got everything ready for a day out first thing in the morning, picnic made and stuff packed early doors.
Sadly she didn't factor in just how long we can take to get ready of a morning, which is really surprising seeing as she deals with it day in, day out.
She went and did other usefull stuff around the house while we slugged about until we were finally ready.
We went to the Discovery Centre in Thatcham, it as pretty busy and we had to park and ride!
We had a walk around the lake, i got a very wet shoe.....
We had a can of extremely expensive can of lemonade.
Until Dad turned up fresh from work on his bike.
I was really excited when he got there, he thinks I was pleased to see him, but we had to wait for him to get there before we could have ice creams!
After a bit indecision I decided I did want to go to gymnastics after all. So it was a swift dash home to get changed. The big side door was open so Mum could watch a bit of what we do.
When she wasn't sat in the car playing Catan with me and Dad on the Ipad.
I made a bit of a mistake when I dropped a tissue in the bath later on though....it broke up quite badly and was pretty unpleasant.
Wednesday:
Another day with auntie Christine.
Shes so resourceful, always has a plan B.
And today's plan B was a trip to the pottery painting place at the Thatcham garden centre.
It was great fun and we really enjoyed it.
We have to go back in a week to pick up our masterpieces as they have to be glazed and fired or something.
So you'll have to wait and see our handiwork.
On top of that we also had a king size dollop of pre-Cornwall excitement, it's getting close now!
When we got home we decided to help Dad clean the car.
We did an excellent job apparently, he better be paying us.
As everyone had a late lunch there was no great urgency for tea so we went down the park instead once we'd picked Mum up from work.
Thursday:
Mum was off today, yeah again!
But we didn't have much of a lie in as we had tickets for a 10 am showing at the cinema.
We went to see Epic, and it was.
We loved it.
It was Costa's for lunch, bacon roll and a giant bourbon biscuit.
We came home and waited for Dad to get in from work, watching another film, Alvin and the Chipmunks Chipwrecked.
I'm still working on my circus skills routine using the swing in the garden. I've moved up to the very highest bar to hang upside down before flipping over holding the swing ropes to be the right way up again.
There was plenty of packing activity in preparation for holiday, but Dad and I did manage for a couple of laps of the Croft mountainbike trail in Swindon. We pinched mums iphone and recorded our two laps on Strava, stats overload! I loved it, heres our second lap:
Friday:
It was our last day at Dragon club for the summer, it was also their sports day.
I sat out most of the ports and spent most of the day doing art things instead.
I didn't of course, I got well stuck in. Sadly Dad didn't come to get us as late as i'd hoped so that wasn't ideal. He came and got us and the made us help him pack the car for Cornwall.
Yeah, well I didn't get to go to the first week of my new term of swimming lessons either.
Not that either of us was that bothered really though, I mean it was for a good cause after all.
We dropped by on Andy first and once he was following we headed westwards.
Our in car dining has reached another level for this trip though....Pizza express pizza and garlic bread,wrapped in foil to keep it warm.....delicious!
We stopped off at Exeter for the grownups to have some sub standard fayre and enjoyed running up and down the grass hill out the back as usual.
Yeah, we even convinced Dad to accompany us, even though it proved to not be the quickest way back to the car for leg two of the journey.
It was soon over and we arrived at the caravan park. Auntie Christine, uncle Ian, Laura and Darcey were already there, Auntie Trish, Owen soon followed on and then within about ten minutes Ben, Rach, Kimi and Marney arrived too.
Yeah, all the usual suspects again this year.
We sat outside for a bit, enjoying the starry sky, seeing the odd shooting star before heading to bed for the night.
Saturday:
As is traditional we awaited the arrival of the Tesco delivery van.....
It didn't come until quite late, so we had plenty of time to mill around the caravan, ride our bikes and pay everyone visits.
Once the shopping had arrived and been put away it was time for the beach!
Today's main activities were king ball. All the way from John Rankin school playground to the North Cornish coast, the hit game of the summer.
Another day on the beach.....lovely.
More king ball:
And a trip to the low tide swimming pool, where i jumped from the high rock for the first time. I got proper brave after a couple of goes and didn't even need Dad to help me get back afterwards. My spirit of adventure was running high and I also paddled my bodyboard up the narrow gap between the rock pools unaided too.
In the evening we had a group barbecue which was cool:
Monday:
We had a break from the beach and headed into Wadebridge for our annul cycling trip up the Camel trail to Padstow.
We also had Andy, Laura, Owen and for the first time ever Darcey long for the ride. She got to go on a seat on the back of Owens bike:
I had a tag along behind Dad again, I reckon that's the last year i'll get away with that:
It was lovely to all ride together, every year we say we must get Mum a bike......
Padstow was super busy though, not really my scene it has to be said, we did have a nice ice cream though.
Then saddled up for the return leg....Strava stats here!
We had a well earned lazy afternoon in the company of cartoon network.
Dad was thrilled about this, apparently it's the best reason yet for us to not have Sky television at home.
We appeased him by sitting outside for tea though, masses and masses of spaghetti!
Tuesday:
We'd been away a whole day, Andy was getting twitchy, better get back on the beach!
Well it would be rude not to after all:
We had a group outing to the youth hostel for tea too look forward to.
It was Uncle Ian's actual birthday today, we can't believe he's really 60.
Although if that's hat the giant badge we bought him said on it, who are we to argue?
He wore it, so it must have been true!
After we wished him many happy returns we headed off for another one of the highlights of the week go-karting.
I'd been getting drilled for weeks regarding my age for this one....you have to be 7 you see. Well, by the time we got to finally go, I think I actually thought I was 7. I didn't even get asked, they just wanted to see I was tall enough. Ned was full of beans, I was a bit more reserved, a little bit worried if truth be told.
Dad managed to convince me (and Mum) that i'd be alright even if I couldn't remember absoloutely everything the man said during the safety briefing.
I gave her a few pointers too, told her to watch and learn!
I did too of course, and I have to admit she made a pretty good debut. The real highlight though had to be Owen passing me and Dad and then spinning! Well, I suppose the track was a bit damp in places.
We hung around for lunch, enjoyed what Mum described as the best toilets in Cornwall and played a bit on the battery cars (we found some money to keep feeding them).
After that the fun had to come to an end and we went to the big surf shop.
I was pretty well up for it though, like a real bloke I reckon one big splurge on clothes a year means I don't have to visit the shops again or another 12 months.
In the evening we had a very special visitor indeed.
Yes we did, John and Sarah came over with their new dog Connie.
She's only a pup and quite honestly she frightened me witless.
She was only excited, I thought she was lovely.
We took her for a walk down to the beach, it was only the second time she'd ever been down there.
She seemed to love it, just as well I reckon being a Cornish dog!
Thursday:
Crealy, haven't been for a few years......
So we were well overdue a visit.
It was great fun taking Darcey round:
And going on the slides with Kimi and Marney:
Highlight of the day had to be the horse rides though:
We seriously love horsey rides:
We're quite partial to the mechanical versions too:
And we also love to brush real ponies too!
And 100% natural slush puppies:
We bid a sad farewell to Auntie Christine, Uncle Ian, Laura and Darcey who headed off home.
Before we headed off to the pub with Auntie Trish, Ben, Rach, Kimi, Marney and Andy for a bite to eat.
There was a cool playground overlooking the Camel Estuary we'd ridden down the other day.
Friday:
Dad and Andy sneaked off for a morning surf before we were even up. I wasn't totally happy with this arrangement. It acted as a bit of a wake up call though and from then on I was totally a man of the ocean. We had another day down the beach and I couldn't get enough. Bodyboarding, body surfing, diving through massive waves, I was all over it.
We spent another whole day down there and really loved it, even if I didn't have the fun of terrifying Auntie Christine with my rock climbing exploits.
We then bid a fond farewell to Kimi and Marney as they left at the end of the day too.
There wasn't many of us left now.
Saturday:
It was a wet one today, no two ways about it.
So wet that Owen and Auntie Trish decided they'd head off home too.
We played some board games, we watched some telly and then we headed off into St Merryn for a trip to the bakery and a bit of wetsuit shopping.
On the way back we stopped off at Harlyn for a soggy day surf session.
Us ladies decided to stay in the car, mum read her book, I watched some Horrible Histories on the Ipad.
While I took Andy and Dad in the sea. It was epic, the rain didn't bother me at all, the sea's wet anyway. An added bonus is that there was hardly anyone else in!
Sunday:
The sun was back, and as it was low tide we headed to......The beach!
We did, armed with fishing nets and buckets.
We had the biggest harvest I think we've ever amassed too!
We certainly drew plenty of admiring glances from the other kids thats for sure.
I was straight back in the surf again. There were really good waves all week which is of course brilliant, even if it did mean we couldn't get through the gap to the secret cave at all.
Sadly it was our last day too, so we had to pack our stuff up ready to move out.
Although we did give ourselves a break for a walk down to the youth hostel for a cream tea.
Then it was finishing off the packing and cleaning and tidying before we headed to the Harlyn Inn for a hearty meal before heading off home.......that's that done for another year then.
As always, many thanks to everyone involved for making it all such great fun!
Here's to next year.
Monday:
Mum was at home all week, so no getting up early for us, unlucky Dad going to work.
We played games, watched a DVD, went to the park and just spent the day mellowing out.
Tuesday:
I got up early and compiled a full stats table to see just which of the horses in my Top Trumps set was the best, it was quite an extensive document. I think Mum was particularly impressed.
Mum took us bowling, we loved it!
Mum took us bowling, we loved it!
Then I got my friend Lilly round to play for a bit before I went to gymnastics. I hadn't been for a week so it was good to get back.
I took Mum and Dad food shopping while she was there, as the Tesco order that arrived on Monday left a lot to be desired.
Wednesday:
I asked Alastair if he'd like to come round and ended up going out with him for the day to Basildon Park. We had a great time but I kindly declined the offer to stay for tea as i'd got wind they were having macaroni cheese.
I had a very lazy day which suited me just fine actually. Sole control of the wibber and as much snoozing as I fancied. We did venture out as far as the park though.
Thursday:
We had a lazy morning and got our picnic ready to take to Legoland in the afternoon when Dad got home from work.
It was pretty busy it has to be said, but we made the best of it of course.
We spent a while in one of the building rooms making models.
I did a cool racing car that looked a lot like a Cornwall go-kart.
And I made a rather lovely house.
After that we spent ages wandering around the model village.
Before having our picnic watching the show.
And then getting a ride on the Pirate Ship, the cars, and the Viking River Splash.
Finishing off the day by winning a cuddly dinosaur for me.
And a cuddly purple hippo for me!
Finishing off the day by winning a cuddly dinosaur for me.
And a cuddly purple hippo for me!
Friday:
We had a library trip on Friday, i'm going great guns on rhe summer reading challenge and I really want to get my medal!
We hung around in town at Victoria Park until Dad made his way down there after work. Passing the time chasing some self styled pirates on the paddle boats.
I managed to make everyone think i'd disappeared by hanging out on the deck of the skateboard ramp.....mild panic ensued!
Next up was swimming, i'd missed the first two weeks but had no trouble catching up with what was going on. I am of course in the big pool now.
And after that it was a quick change and back out again to Liam's birthday party, laser quest at Eddie Katz.
Now normally, i'd have been well envious of this but I had also been invited at the last minute, what a result.
We had a great time, best of all though they handed out ice packs for minor bumps....I loved that!
Saturday:
Another lazy day to start off the bank holiday weekend, not that we noticed that it was a bank holiday as we've been off school for so long now.
As luck would have it Hugo came round in the afternoon to see if I was about, thank goodness. We had a great time together, flitting between the park and each others houses.
In the evening we went to Mottisfont Country House to watch a theatre production of Babe (you know, the one about a pig).
But this was quite different, we'd taken an extensive picnic and our camping chairs as the show was being held outside.
We made our way through the grounds and being as we were the second family in we got the pick of the spots to pitch our makeshift viewing area for the evening, right at the front.
We ate our picnic and then went off exploring the grounds a little bit, the fish in the river were massive!
We then took our seats and sat, as we usually do, totally agog all the way through the first half of the show. Totally spellbound without a word uttered between us.
As soon as the interval started the floodgates opened and the jibber jabber began.
And we also got to devour our interval treat, a big steaming flask of home made hot chocolate and a double helping of brownies Dad had made that morning.
It was delicious, but it was a bit of a shame that it wasn't a colder evening so we could really appreciate it.
Yeah, although we certainly won't complain about the weather as it stayed dry despite looking pretty grey overhead at times.
We settled down for the second half and returned to our silent, focussed state, taking it all in.
By the time the show came to an end it was pretty well dark as we made our way back to the car.
What a brilliant night out.
Sunday:
As we'd had a bit of a late night on Saturday (makes a change doesn't it?) we didn't do much on Sunday.
Until after lunch when we had another attempt at the Standlake Mosaic Trail walk.
We tried this earlier on in the year but had to abandon as it was just too wet, even for wellies!
It was nice and dry this time though so off we went.
It was a pretty pleasant walk actually, and we managed to eventually spot all the mosaics we were supposed to spot along the way.
We found our way to a riverside pub and enjoyed a lovely cold drink by the Thames.
As did several thousand wasps.
Before heading back again.
Making a bit of pit stop for an alfresco wee:
And enjoying nature:
And this war relic, which I thought was amazing:
Mum appeased, she loves a walk.....
Monday:
Well, we were at a bit of a loss as to what to do with out bank holiday Monday.
Yeah, as action packed as the last few weeks have been we're struggling a bit now for inspiration.
So spent the morning shuttling between the park and Hugo's house again.
Before we went to Kintbury in the afternoon for a trip on a horse drawn narrow boat.
Yeah, a horse drawn one! We were intrigued.
The horse was called Freddy, I declared him the loveliest horse in the world:
He was certainly one of the biggest horses in the world I reckon, but he loved being fussed as he stood on the bank waiting to get to work.
He was certainly a strong horse, he pulled us all along really easily.
And we cruised along in silence, no engines.....how lovely.
We got to our turning point and Freddy was released for a wander into the adjoining field, it was his most favourite grass apparently:
Once the horse was away, the boat was going to go down in the lock, Ellis and I made sure were on board for this one, we'd seen plenty of boats going up and down in locks before but never been on one:
Going down:
The boat was turned round with the help of Freddy once he'd finished his lush grassy snack:
And he plodded us back to Kintbury.
We struck up conversation with an American couple on the boat, they were from California. I grilled them for ages, they loved it. I asked about California, Hollywood, told them we'd been to Florida, and Italy and France and Spain.
Scotland and Wales as well, I told them all about the Panda's.
If we thought we'd been loads of places, they'd been to even more! It was really interesting to hear about China, the Bahamas and other far flung places around the world.
They were over for a wedding and were off to Highclere Castle on Tuesday, they were massive fans of a programme called Downton Abbey or something.
We told them to steer well clear of light switches and plugs (eh Andy!).
Saturday:
Another lazy day to start off the bank holiday weekend, not that we noticed that it was a bank holiday as we've been off school for so long now.
As luck would have it Hugo came round in the afternoon to see if I was about, thank goodness. We had a great time together, flitting between the park and each others houses.
In the evening we went to Mottisfont Country House to watch a theatre production of Babe (you know, the one about a pig).
But this was quite different, we'd taken an extensive picnic and our camping chairs as the show was being held outside.
We made our way through the grounds and being as we were the second family in we got the pick of the spots to pitch our makeshift viewing area for the evening, right at the front.
We then took our seats and sat, as we usually do, totally agog all the way through the first half of the show. Totally spellbound without a word uttered between us.
As soon as the interval started the floodgates opened and the jibber jabber began.
And we also got to devour our interval treat, a big steaming flask of home made hot chocolate and a double helping of brownies Dad had made that morning.
It was delicious, but it was a bit of a shame that it wasn't a colder evening so we could really appreciate it.
Yeah, although we certainly won't complain about the weather as it stayed dry despite looking pretty grey overhead at times.
We settled down for the second half and returned to our silent, focussed state, taking it all in.
By the time the show came to an end it was pretty well dark as we made our way back to the car.
What a brilliant night out.
Sunday:
As we'd had a bit of a late night on Saturday (makes a change doesn't it?) we didn't do much on Sunday.
Until after lunch when we had another attempt at the Standlake Mosaic Trail walk.
We tried this earlier on in the year but had to abandon as it was just too wet, even for wellies!
It was nice and dry this time though so off we went.
Before heading back again.
Making a bit of pit stop for an alfresco wee:
Monday:
Well, we were at a bit of a loss as to what to do with out bank holiday Monday.
Yeah, as action packed as the last few weeks have been we're struggling a bit now for inspiration.
So spent the morning shuttling between the park and Hugo's house again.
Before we went to Kintbury in the afternoon for a trip on a horse drawn narrow boat.
Yeah, a horse drawn one! We were intrigued.
The horse was called Freddy, I declared him the loveliest horse in the world:
He was certainly a strong horse, he pulled us all along really easily.
We got to our turning point and Freddy was released for a wander into the adjoining field, it was his most favourite grass apparently:
We struck up conversation with an American couple on the boat, they were from California. I grilled them for ages, they loved it. I asked about California, Hollywood, told them we'd been to Florida, and Italy and France and Spain.
Scotland and Wales as well, I told them all about the Panda's.
If we thought we'd been loads of places, they'd been to even more! It was really interesting to hear about China, the Bahamas and other far flung places around the world.
They were over for a wedding and were off to Highclere Castle on Tuesday, they were massive fans of a programme called Downton Abbey or something.
We told them to steer well clear of light switches and plugs (eh Andy!).
