« June 2009 | Main | August 2009 »
Hallows Farm with the Wassocks
Posted by Webby at July 29, 2009 09:52 PM | Comments (0)Wednesday 29 July 2009
We drove home, today, through torrential rain (moderately terrifying torrential rain, that is, actually!), and, worried that Helen might have to drive through similar conditions at the weekend, I sent Jim and Helen a text letting them know that we'd we'd returned safely, and how the weather had been.
"Home safely after extremely harrowing motorway drive through driving rain and thick spray. Hope the weather improves for you guys. Thanks for an XLNT weekend.
Jim's reply?
"Walked Seatoller to camp via Castle Crags in T-shirts! Not a drop fallen since you left... H x".
Bloody charmin'
Tuesday 28 July 2009
Evelyn always loves a swim, so we went, with the Wassocks, to the Keswick Leisure Centre today. Waiting in the queue, I noticed that Evelyn's face was a little grubby. Rather clumsily, I 'hoober-doobered' Evelyn's face with a soapy face-cloth, practically knocking Evelyn's loose woobly tooth out. I was mortified, but Evelyn seemed, almost, excited. Taking control, and not making it exactly clear to Evelyn what she was about to do, Jilly quickly and painlessly extracted the tooth, with clinical precision, and without murmur from Evie.
With it's slide (which was incredibly busy, all day) and wave machines, Evie, Dom and Tilly loved being in the water. Not surprisingly, Jilly was inevitably tempted by the water slide...and Jim joined her for company in the queue of about fifty children (including Evelyn).
After swimming, Jilly, Evelyn and I walked into and around Keswick. As we were all quite tired (through a combination of a lack of sleep and the swimming) we soon decided to head back to the camp. Evelyn began messing around as we walked back so, finally losing patience with her, I threatened to push her along if she didn't walk properly.
"Well, push me then!" she barked at me, stood with her hands on her hips, in what seems to be becoming a typically infuriating five-year-old-little-madam stylee.
Oh dear! I pushed Evie (a little too hard) and she fell to the floor. Mortified (again) I rushed to pick her up and make sure she was OK. A little shocked and upset (me, that is, not Evie!), Evie was quick to give me a big hug when I rushed to her blubbing apologetically.
On the drive back, Evelyn reassured me,
"I love you Daddy, even when you push me over."
I was choking back the tears as I drove back to the tent...
It rained, torrentially, all night!
Monday 27 July 2009
Jim planned an excellent walk up Cat Bells for Jilly, Helen, Evelyn, Dominic and I, while he walked Tilly around the bottom of the hill. The weather stayed tolerably fine (with intermittent 'drizzle') for the first half of the walk, but improved to give us a sunny, but overcast, afternoon...lovely for walking in.
It rained, torrentially, all night!
Sunday 26 July 2009
On the first leg of our two-centre summer holiday, we left Huddersfield this morning and drove a perfectly uneventful journey to Hallows Farm where we met the Wassocks who were already encamped in the 'second field'. As there had been a bit of rain the previous night, the second field had been abandoned by many of its occupants, but the Wassocks remained. Jim and Jilly quickly got about erecting our tent (embarrassing me into action), while Evelyn, Dom and Tilly ran around the campsite like lunatics. Our accommodation was soon ready.
Confident that we would have somewhere waterproof to sleep when we got back, we joined the Wassocks in a drive to the Rhedeg Centre to see Tattercoats, a, "...50-minute piece of story-telling theatre suitable for ages 5-11". Initially concerned that the play might be a little too 'arty' ("the production uses video animation, music and sound as well as the hallmark physicality that multi-story audiences are used to"), I was stunned at how thoroughly enthralling the production was, and Evelyn and Dominic seemed to really enjoy it to. Fantastic!
It rained, torrentially, all night!
Goodbye Lower Right Central Incisor
Posted by Webby at July 28, 2009 07:43 PM | Comments (0)Evelyn always loves a swim, so we went, with the Wassocks, to the Keswick Leisure Centre today. Waiting in the queue, I noticed that Evelyn's face was a little grubby. Rather clumsily, I 'hoober-doobered' Evelyn's face with a soapy face-cloth, practically knocking Evelyn's loose woobly tooth out. I was mortified, but Evelyn seemed, almost, excited. Taking control, and not making it exactly clear to Evelyn what she was about to do, Jilly quickly and painlessly extracted the tooth, with clinical precision, and without murmur from Evie.
At Nanna and Poppee's
Posted by Webby at July 24, 2009 09:06 PM | Comments (0)As the big school holidays have begun, Evelyn has spent the last three nights at Nanna and Poppee's house with cousin Hebe. Jilly and I have missed Evelyn loads, and were each quite desperate to collect her from grandparents'.
Evelyn has had a lovely time with Nanna, Poppee and Hebe, enjoying a day in Cleethorpes and a fantastic afternoon fishing with Poppee, (when each of the girls caught a fish apiece).
On the drive home, and when she wasn't singing all the lyrics to her favourite album by The Ting Tings, Evelyn made repeated references to a "...very precious..." box that Nanna had given her. Evie told us of how much the box smelled of Nanna and how very much she loved Nanna...er...adding that she didn't love Poppee because, "...he was smelly!
On arriving home, I immediately took Evelyn up to bed where she finally collapsed into sleep at 10.00pm after insisting on a Mr. Men story (Mr. Greedy, Evelyn's favourite) before I left her. I'd missed Evelyn so much, that I was relieved she was awake enough for me to read to her. As she hugged me almost into unconsciousness (slight exagerration, there!), Evelyn told me that I was her best friend; her super friend. I read Mr. Greedy, sang two rhymes to her and sat back as she fell to sleep.
At Debbie and Kev's
Posted by Webby at July 19, 2009 07:04 PM | Comments (0)Visiting Debbie and Kevin's over the weekend, we all went to The Timbersbrook Project near Congleton. Not surprisingly, Evelyn loved the Kune Kune pigs! The greatest attraction, though, was the utterly and charmingly eccentric bloke that showed us around the project, and was kind enough to collect several peacock feathers to give Evelyn...who was very pleased indeed.
It was clear that the guy at the project (whose name I'm embarrassed to say I can't remember) was really passionate about it and the work it does (especially when it came to the subject of donkey adoption!).
I am a lady, you know!
Posted by Webby at July 17, 2009 09:05 PM | Comments (0)As Jilly took Evelyn to school this morning, Evie did something unladylike...she dropped what Jilly described as a massive fart as they crossed the road to the school gates. Jilly immediately told Evie that she wasn't behaving like a lady.
Evelyn's reply?
"But I am a lady, you know! I do lady's things!".
Evelyn continued her walk to school in the style of David Walliams...but without the period dress.
Evelyn's Singing
Posted by Webby at July 16, 2009 09:47 PM | Comments (0)My word...this has to stop!
I had to stop Evelyn singing an especially offensive song this evening; I can't begin to imagine where she heard the following lyrics, but when I find out, there will be hell to pay!
On the way back from the dentist this evening, Evelyn sat in the back of the car, and sang...
"I am sailing, I am sailing, 'cross the sea. I am sailing, stormy waters..."
Whatever next?
I have this little daughter Evelyn...
Posted by Webby at July 14, 2009 12:31 PM | Comments (0)She's small and very funny...but unlike her cartoon heroine, Lola, Evelyn DOES want her wobbly tooth to fall out!
Evelyn's wobbly tooth is her lower right central incisor (one her first two teeth to make their an appearance on 16th December 2004). Every morning, Evelyn demands that Jilly and I touch her wobbly tooth, to see how wobbly it is; and every afternoon, Jilly or I collect Evelyn from school for her to tell us tales of how one child or another has pushed, pulled or twisted her tooth throughout the day. The girl is crazy, and desperate for her tooth to fall out, but not so much that Evelyn is prepared to eat hard fruit and cereal bars (sticking, in the main, to strawberries and ripe nectarines!)
Jilly and I have both told her that it would be weeks before the tooth falls out, but Evie is adamant that, "...it will fall out tonight!", everynight! And this has been going on for 10 days now!
Now...where did I leave my pliers?
