I have just come back from this amazing and inspiring conference, in Ascot, over the weekend. I made new friends, delighted in seeing some old friends, and learned SO much during the two days I was there. Just for some background, many who read this blog may not know that I have been working in the field of Autism Education for 22 years now, on and off. Beginning my career in dedicated schools for children with Autism, way back in 1986, I've since written and had published, educational materials to support children with ASDS in a mainstream education environment, private tutored, advocacy work, and trained teachers and support staff in schools.
This conference ( which had a a truly International feel with delegates from Hong Kong, Canada, USA, Switzerland, Kuwait, Romania, Dubai, India, New Zealand, Australia, Germany to name just the ones that I met, plus speakers from this country and the USA) was organised by the trustees of The Autism Trust. One of these, Stephanie, together with another organiser, Matt, are friends from the very first school I worked in. Steph was the head teacher and responsible for employing me in my first job in this field, and Matt was a teacher, just qualified. Together we started our school's first infant class. It was really wonderful to see them both again, see how much we had - and hadn't - changed; realise that even at the age of 41 I'm obviously still not too old for Matt's gentle ribbing (nothing new there), and generally have a chance to catch up with each other. A brilliant weekend. Just for fun, here's us back in 1988.....
(Yes, I've already been told I look about 12)
And here's us this weekend. Although Matt is something like 6'8", I look excessively short because I'm kneeling between them for the photo. I'm honestly not THAT short!)
(If anyone wants to know more I'd be happy to share! Not about this gruesome threesome but about the conference!)
... judgements drawn from my time here so far... (It's Rachel, by the way!)
So, here I am in Lacaster and there you all are in various other places on this earth and, for now, it's just like we're in the same room and I am recounting my experiences to you, which are varied and exciting.
Since my discovery of my place at Lancaster University, I hadn't really had time to process the implications of being away from home in a place where the sun shines infrequently, the hills roll, the peaks reach the heavens and where my vocabulary is mocked and an attempt is made to replace it with "Am goin' t'pub"- these are the sorts of useful things I'm learning. =) But, I love it here; the scenery is beautiful, the people are wonderful and the prospect of learning excites me- it's the perfect combination!!
Of course, I miss home. Dreadfully. But, strangely, not enough to wish that this little twist in my life had happened differently. My room is beautiful and I have and continue to enjoy making it a little haven. The novelty of washing up MY VERY OWN saucepans and plates still hasn't worn off (No doubt Daddy wishes I had imagined the dishes at home to be my own and had applied the same vigour to my chores!) There is a certain pride that comes from having a place of your own- be it a small room, it still belongs to me and I love it!! I have arranged my pictures just so...anywhere I look in my room, I see a picture of someone I love. I have a few quirky little tid bits around and the smattering of bottles and pots containing sprays, potions and lotions that sit on my window sill- the colourful array can be seen from the outside and often make me chuckle. How many of those bottles do I actually use? Around 2 at the most! They look nice though.
I would wax lyrical about the lectures but, strangely, that is only a very small part of this university experience! It's very exciting to be taught by geniuses (or is it Genii?) , to be taught by men whose books I studied for A level coursework... although I found none of it particularly compelling or useful in the least, it still gives them an air of celebrity to me and I am almost tempted to ask them to sign my copy. Their academic brilliance is inspiring and I would dearly love to stay at university forever and do my post graduate studies and write epic books filled with lots of words that only a select few people are interested in... somehow though, I can't see that being ultimately fulfilling. I have learnt that university is for big people. We make big decisions every day and every lecture we attend brings us closer to what is, hopefully, the desired destination. Already though, I find myself challenging my subject choices and my desires for the future. Is History really what I want to be doing? Well, yes it is but it was never my best subject. It begs the question whether it is more important to get a First in the subject you are best at or a healthy 2/1 in one you love. Big questions. Well, I'll be honest, I'll work hard enough to do the best I can in whatever but If it was a choice between medieval europe and Phonetics, I'd probably choose the latter (my weirdness is now evident!- And no, european history has never appealed to me). However, I know that at some point I'll be able to choose exactly what I'd like to specialise in! Fathom my joy! So, what should it be? The historic development of air combat? A comparison of ancient warfare to modern warfare? How about the Tuskegee airmen or the settling of the West or Colonial USA? To realise that, when it comes down to it, my learning is in my own hands is SUCH an exciting prospect! I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to learn!
I love shopping for food!! How joyful it is to place a can or two into a basket with a lettuce and some bread!! I feel SO grown up...simple pleasures! I love walking into a shop and having to prioritise some necessary staples over that delectable tub of Ben and Jerry's-however painful it is to walk away from the freezer section. ESPECIALLY when you swear that the tiny cries of pain you hear are being made by those forlorn tubs that just want a home...they just want to be indulged by some menstruating female!!- Yes, walking away is especially difficult in those instances. But, shopping is fun and making those adults decisions is fun too.
I also have made some fabulous friends- they type that would die trying to convince you that you would have been better off had you bought the ONLY tub of cookie dough that was sitting on the frozen shelf...looking all lonely.... and then the type that remind you of the financial benefits of not giving in to such notions. Friends that come on campus especially to drop a Big mac outside your door when you have swine flu and have to stay locked away for 5 days (feeling like a convict when people leave food outside your door or slide things under it), friends that stand outside, in the cold, so they can converse face to face with you through your window while you are so quarantined. Friends that text you to tell you they are thinking of you and that you are in their prayers and to call should you need anything. Sounds a bit like family, doesn't it. Well, that's exactly what it's like. Yes, I have wonderful friends. They're from all over the globe too- Taiwan, China, Kent, Wimbledon, Birmingham, Yorkshire, Lancaster, Bristol...
I said previously that it is beautiful here and it really is. even when the sun doesn't shine, there are still many beautiful things to see- The stars shine very brightly at night time and being on a Hill somewhere makes you strangely more away of the powers that be which made it so- felt more so on a hilll than...the fens or a field, for example. There's a place here called Ashton Memorial and it is a beautiful, green parkland with a gorgeous house. It sort of reminds me of something you'd read about in a Jane Austen. There are steps, people, steps. I fondly refer to them as the Pemberly steps and it is possible to run up them and stand, looking out at the rest of lancaster and forget that you are in jeans and trainers. For, as you lean on those stone pillars, you may as well be in a floor length dress, wearing your curls about your ears as you eagerly await running into the likes of Mr Darcy or Captain Wentworth. Oh, It all seems so possible on those steps....
Many people ask what I would like to do after my degree. Well, I should like very much to teach in high school. But then, historical journalism appeals too. As does working in a museum. Each one requires a skill to impassion the audience and make the past come alive and, I guess, that is my dream. However I accomplish it, I just want to do what my High school history teacher- Mr Bennet- did for me- he challenged my perceptions and encouraged me to argue with him and debate with him. He made me feel that the answer I gave to the questions he asked would determine the outcome of the Cuban Missile crisis or would bring an end to the Vietnam war. It was real to me and THAT is what I would love to do for somebody else.
So, friends, I love being here. University suits me well, I think. I needed this change and the lessons I'm learning are invaluable. The lectures are, largely, interesting and I have wonderful friends. I thought that being in the real world would kill any desire to imagine...but, the countryside just fuels that hobby of mine. It is a wonderful, enchanting place and I feel very blessed to be here!
(Pictured here with the notorious pirate LuckyLips Laura.)
And very fortunate he was to have not one, but two birthday celebrations - one on his birthday when we went to the beach and one the Saturday after when his Pirate and Princess friends gathered with him down in the hall at church for his party, with his (oh-my-word-what-incredibly-hardworking-and-devoted-Mum-made-that?) treasure chest birthday cake. (But more of that later!)
This last year has seen Sam start school in Sept 08 as the youngest child there. He was immediately placed in the top group for maths (obviously not taking after me - make NO COMMENT, Nat!) And in the Summer he was the first to become a free reader (i.e. no longer on the reading scheme books). More importantly to me, he has a good group of friends and loves being at school. This term he will be taking part in his first after-school club, once a week, when he will be doing Multi-skills (taster sessions of several different sports.) He is REALLY excited about that. I just hope they do a little Rugby or American Football, because one of Sam's well-cultivated talents is running at people and crashing into them. He can take people older than him out. I just wish he hadn't practised on his Grandma today but that's another story!
Sam is very much a redhead with the temper to prove it (honestly the ONE thing he gets from me! I could have done a bit better than that!) Thankfully (?) he is able to save his hot-temperedness just for the family. I'm taking that to mean that he thinks we're special and he loves us lots!
It won't surprise you to learn that Sam is STILL a Daddy's boy. The sun, moon AND stars still revolve around his beautiful head! Sam loves it when Daddy comes home. He loves seeing Daddy ride his bike into our driveway and then running around the house (usually getting up from the dinner table to do so,) to meet him in the back garden. He loves bedtime stories and cuddles from Daddy and by right of being the oldest of the two, having an extra story and/or game with Daddy while I put Caitlin to bed.
Sam is fun, mischievous, loud, rough-and-tumbley, cheeky, naughty and good in equal measure, noisy when he wants to be, but peace-loving at other times. He ALWAYS tries to get away with more than he should and will often attempt to fib to get out of a sticky situation but his face betrays him by breaking into an involuntary grin every time he tries it on. Sometimes he will even try to turn his back so we can't see the grin. But every time, he knows the game's up and will thankfully admit to what REALLY happened! If that's the way things carry on, we shouldn't have too many problems when he hits his teens!
Sam can giggle. It comes right up from his tummy, and can contort his whole body, can produce tears, and render him completely incapable of coherent speech. Then he will calm down, begin to explain what was so funny, get to the crux of it and fall apart all over again. And every time he revisits the origin of the giggle in his head, off he'll go. Long after it really ceases to be funny!
and all because one of the Elmo "Go Fish" cards had Elmo making a funny face. A HYSTERICALLY funny face, as it turns out.
Sam is loving and affectionate to the core. He can and will cuddle up with any one of us on the sofa forever - and even longer than that if his cuddle "thing" - an old fleece jacket of his - is in the equation. Or if you have a trouser hemline or a good sleeve. On arriving home, Daddy has to change into a t-shirt with a baggy sleeve as Sam will say "Daddy, can I have your arm?" He has also been known to slink down in his chair at the dinner table to elongate his legs so his toes can reach the turn up of my trousers! And to think I congratulated myself that he wasn't a thumbsucker!
Sam STILL loves the Tabernacle Choir although now wants to be "a police" or a fireman rather than a percussionist like Trent. He loves to sing and is very.... enthusiastic. (See my facebook video of him singing Scar's song from The Lion King). He picks up songs that he likes from all corners of this house and so has a broad tase in music, from In the Still of the Night, to Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, to Lionel Ritchie's All Night Long, to Amen Corner's If Paradise is Half as Nice, to........ Bobby Vee's Night has A Thousand Eyes (I can't even BEGIN to describe Steve's feelings on that last one). His favourite television programmes include Mister Maker, Chuggington, Gigglebiz and Charlie and Lola (check out BBC iplayer on the web). He also likes watching the documentary series on the Air Sea Rescue - especially as he has his OWN Playmobil rescue Helicopter so he can play along. As far as favourite things to do - he lOVES computer games - only good BBC ones, thankfully; he loves to run and jump, prefereably into something or someone; LOVES his pirate ship and pirate Treasure Island his lovely parents bought him for his birthday , and will spend ages and much floor space, laying it all out and playing with it and fending Caitlin off from her attempts at sabotage and....piracy! He loves dressing up - Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Postmant Pat, Dr Sam, and Sam the pirate. He enjoys cooking and is getting quite competent at skills such as breaking eggs, measuring and pouring, and rolling out. (I may retire). This summer he has loved bouncy castles, playing at the beach, ball pools, paddling pools, bike rides, trips to the freezing cold mill pond, trips to the cinema (Loving Madagascar 2 and Ice Age 3), roller skating, parks, playing games with us all.
(Just so you know, he has already decided whom he is going to marry. Emily is quite happy about it although we have been very careful to tell them both that they don't actually have to decide yet!)
Sam reads really well, and considering his age, very fluently. He has always loved books and when he was younger would sit happily among a huge scattering of them, contendedly flipping pages and looking at the pictures. Now books hold a whole new joy for him as he can read the stories for himself. Current favourites include anything Charlie and Lola, The Sneetches, The Little Old lady Who Cried Wolf, The Magic Paintbrush - and anything else by Julia Donaldson, Who's Your Hero (Book of Mormon stories applied to kids), the BFG, and a poem book called Little Bo-Peep has Knickers that Bleep! And anything with Pirates in. Which brings us nicely on to...his party.
Take a ship ball pool, adorned with Jolly Roger Flags,
walking the plank....
a few inflatable parrots and some limbo dancing....
a treasure hunt, a hook-the donut game, some more inflatable parrots and a very very GENEROUS helping of the Pied Piper here, AKA LuckyLips Laura...
... mix with some children and you have the recipe for a very successful birthday party. So successful that parents were asking, "Who IS that girl? Is she a teacher or something?" "No..... a lawyer." Jaws dropping in disbelief. And this, my friends, is the reason Sam had his party a whole week after his birthday. Because LuckyLips herself was in the USA the week before and there was no way, NO WAY, I was doing this without her! If she had been Captain Hook himself, she couldn't have reeled these kids in any more. She was magic. Almost... ALMOST, but not quite as fabulous as the birthday cake (- which, in turn, was almost but not quite as fabulous as Susannah's creation which you can see here: www.susannah.typepad.com/seasons_turn_turn_turn/2008/10 ) however it is still my triumph! Here it is, in all it's glory, complete with brown sugar sand...
So anyway, back to my boy - my exuberant, running, jumping, crashing, rough-and-tumble yet gentle pirate boy. I love that he gives the tightest cuddles and biggest squeezes. I love it that he will STILL give me ten kisses if I ask, and I do, often. I love that he takes such pleasure in small things... in spotting the ripest yellow raspberries in the garden; in finding "good" stones and shells on the beach; in jumping waves with Daddy; in filling up holes in the sand that Daddy is breaking his back to dig, and laughing hysterically; in talking to himself while he plays; in finding hours of joy in a cardboard box. I love the look of pure delight on his face when just before bed, after bathing and changing into Pyjamas, I announce that we're going on a Pyjama walk. And he can't believe his luck when we walk over to the hill and play hide and seek.
I love how he wolfs down his favourite meals, and I love that one of those favourites is the homemade broccoli soup that he and I make together.
I love how much he loves his Daddy.
I love that despite the fact that Caitlin gets into his stuff, and gives him no peace, that while she is having her afternoon nap, when he's at home, he will constantly ask, "IS it time for Caitlin to get up yet?" I love hearing him read to her, or play with her. Most of all, I love it when she shows him a painting, or a play-doh model or a new dress, and she'll beam with pride as he says, in JUST the right tone: "Oh Caitlin you look pretty!" or "That's such a good painting - it's even better than mine!" I love that he always gives her a kiss and cuddle before heading into his classroom and at the end of the day when he comes out. I love that whenever he goes to a party, he will always find something in his party bag to give to her. I love his cuddliness. I admire his resilience. No child does illness like this one. Unfortunately having had loads of practice in the sickness department, he handles a sick bucket like a pro and is almost self sufficient except for me rubbing his back - and that's only because it makes me feel useful. Other than that he'll just lie quietly on the sofa with the TV on, or play happily with his toys between bouts. He rarely moans about it and takes after his Daddy in that he is NOT a typical male when it comes to illness. But just today, after a nasty two day tummy bug, and a night of disturbed sleep because of it, he woke up wanting a McDonalds. My offer of water, squash or an ice lolly was met with howls. He was absolutely starving after two days of nothing, pale and red eyed after little sleep and he spent an hour crying because he woke up and Daddy had left for work. Heinous crime. And his disappointment at Daddy not being there descended into a very tearful but determined pitch for McDonalds for lunch. "These sicky germs are BULLIES and they need to be killed," he ranted. "Dr Ferris doesn't have the right way of doing it. I don't want to kill them with drinks. My way is best and that's McDonalds!" We compromised with a bowl of milkless cereal for lunch, and some toast for tea. Both of which happily stayed down so fingers crossed for tomorrow! I love that we were able to spend most of the day cuddling on the sofa.
I love that when I was just in his room putting clothes away in the wee small hours, I knelt down beside him, kissed his cheek and whispered "I love you, Sam" and he put his hand out and rubbed my cheek and said "I love you too, Mummy." It doesn't get better than that.
Being three is a big deal. Being three means you get to go to playgroup. Being three means you start going to Primary at church, with the BIG children. According to Caitlin, being three means "I'm not little anymore because I'm not two, because I'm a big girl, because I'm THAREE!" It's THAT important.
There are a zillion and two things that make this little girl so incredibly special. Every night, we run through some of them, so she will ALWAYS know how special she is. The nighttime conversation runs something like this.
Me: Who's my special angel?
Caitlin (while sucking the life out of Mumble's fin): Me.
Me: And who's my beautiful princess?
Caitlin: Me.
Me: And who's my Wild Woman of Borneo? - which describes her hair, first thing in the morning, last thing at night, and any given moment in between when she's taken her clips out...
Caitlin: Me.
Me: And who's my treasure from heaven / gorgeous girl / cheeky monkey / brilliant helper / precious girl / snakey arms - because at this moment we are both lying in her bed and her arms are curled around my neck and wrapped tightly so I can't escape even if I wanted to - which I don't...
Caitlin: Me.
Me: Caitlin, you are LOTS of things! that makes you very special.
Then sensing the moment may be about to end, she always says (even if I've already said them)
Caitlin: And what about I'm three? Me: Ok - who's my big three year old girl? Caitlin: me.
And again... and what about I'm in Primary?... and so it goes.
I could add "and who is my stroppy girl?" - because she can be. She still is a drama queen and if she has suffered an injustice, like, say, being asked to eat her dinner when she'd rather be doing something else, she has the ability to be a little bolshy. I'm hoping that she doesn't see it as a talent that she'll lose if she doesn't practise it regularly. Conversely she also has the ability to turn it on its head and call your bluff quite happily. For instance, if I tell her that she doesn't get the much-longed-for dessert because she didn't eat all of her dinner, she'll very cheerfully say: "that's alright Mummy because I didn't want any dessert because I'm full up. I'll just save it until tomorrow and THEN I can have some."
I could also add "And who is a demon little sister?" because she can be that too. She generally wants whatever Sam has got.
She loves her big brother so much that she thinks whatever he is doing must be better than what she is doing and wants to get in on the act. Which means if he is happily playing, lying on the floor on his tummy, he can fully expect it not to last and that the thud on his back means that Caitlin has sat on it and wants to play. She is fiercely loyal though and if anyone else - including parents and big sisters who may need to correct behaviour - DARE to tell Sam off or stop him doing something, she's prepared to grab them round the legs and say vehemently "DON'T say that to my big brother!" He's always MY BIG BROTHER when she's playing for the defense, but she's very quick to run to me with cries of "Mummmeeeee, Sam did....." whatever he did to her. And unfortunately we are going through a patch where they can both give as good as they get and fisticuffs are common - despite being told that brothers and sisters who are 5 and 3 don't do that anymore. I need another line because that one's not working! She also likes to get a little one-upmanship in their relationship and isn't above snitching and landing him in it, and gloating if the occasion deserves it. Like the other day when we were baking and they were taking it in turns to help. I banished Sam from the table for eating half a pat of butter when my back was turned. Caitlin smiled sweetly at me and said "I can still help. Let's just see if I don't eat the butter!" But Sam is still the one she wants to be with, to copy, to sit next to,to play with, or to crawl into bed with for a cuddle.
Caitlin is, without a doubt, in the mould of Jessica. Not only do they look alike at this age but the dramatics, the antics, the playing for laughs, the naughtiness, the strops, are all pure Jess, with some added spice of her own. You know the old "sugar and spice and all things nice?" Caitlin is all that, plus a dash of "the girl with a curl right in the middle of her forehead... and when she was good she was very very good............" You know how it ends. I wonder if now she has had her fringe cut and the curls that always flopped over her forehead, giving her the Wild Woman look are no more... we shall see.
She sat so still for her very first hair cut, a spur of the moment thing, after I'd grappled with keeping her hair in clips all day!
Looking quite peturbed now at what was happening.... as well she might!
Emma didn't realise tht her hair didn't need that much help to curl!!!
But finally....
Caitlin is such a joy to have around. She is Company with a capital C. She's incredibly funny, an absolute MONKEY, cheeky to the enth degree. She is a master at negotiating in a hundred different ways to achieve her own ends. She knows her own mind and won't be coaxed easily out of something she has determined to do - or not to do. She can put on a really sour sulky face and then break into the sunniest of smiles in the space of a nanosecond. She gives the tightest, best cuddles, loves to snuggle up, loves to have stories read and songs sung. her favourites at the moment include Charlie and Lola (hence the blood, sweat and tears birthday cake) -
and any other story with words and pictures! She'll sing and likes to have sung to her, all manner of songs ranging from In the Still of the Night (she sings the shoo be doos while Sam sings the lead - it's great), to Taylor Swift's Love Story, with Disney, Primary Songs, The Corrs - No Frontiers, Five Pennies, Scarlet Ribbons and Night has a Thousand Eyes, in between. Eclectic? You have no idea. An Evanesscence song, and Rainbow's Since You've Been Gone, as well as Girls' Aloud - The Promise, would all make it on to her Greatest Hits!
She loves Disney Princesses, Seth, playdough, anything Sam loves, Seth, playing with PlayDoh, hanging out in her big sisters' bedroom, roller-skating with Jess, singing and dancing with her big sisters, Seth, playing with more playdough, hanging out with Laura and Kirsty, posing and saying cheese for photos,
Seth, ...
She loves pink milk - like Lola, chocolate anything, marmite sandwiches, fish finger dinners, grapes, strawberries, melon smiles (with teeth!), Mexican soft tacos, telling me "Mummy, you are the bestest dinner maker in the whole world that I ever seen!"; doing the jumping wave, watching Grandma do the jumping wave (saying goodbye while waving and jumping and kicking your feet out at the sides. I agree with her - watching my 69 year old Mum - who invented it - doing it, is great fun!); Roger, the security guard at our local supermarket, playing with her PlayMobile house that she got for her birthday from Auntie Deb and family, swiping Sam's toys; Lipping (putting on my lipstick - with or without consent); dressing up, doing puzzles, Dora the Explorer, being tickled... She DOESN'T like pancakes, being told "no!", mushrooms, being laughed at, barking and yapping dogs, animals who approach her without asking first, apple pips (she will eat ALL of the rest), Clifford the big Red Dog, not having your undivided attention, going to Tesco and Not having a ride...
She really really really loves ZERBITING other people and getting Zerbited back! (The Cosby Show, people, raspberries to you and me!) ESPECIALLY when you are expecting a kiss!
Caitlin loves being with her friends and has a few special friends, especially Annaliesa, Freya, Amelia and Faye.
She has also decided that as she can't marry me, her Daddy or Sam, that she is going to marry Josh. Josh and Harry are brothers, with Josh being a year older than her and Harry almost a year younger. So what if she gets them confused? She'll say "Which one is the big one, Josh or Harry?" then when I tell her it's Josh, she nods and says, "Then I'll marry Josh." Not that she has to decide now you understand!
Caitlin always has been and still is, a real Mummy's girl. I am the favourite to put her to bed, and to come to when life goes wrong! But she loves Daddy reading her bedtime stories, and brushing her hair because, I am told, "Daddy does it gently than you, Mummy!" And nobody can jump waves with her like Daddy does!
THIS was my lesson in NOT leaving Caitlin alone with a pot of Creme Fraiche.
She was using it like suncream, the monkey!
This is the life!
She has the sweetest smile and manner that can charm the birds out of the trees, while retaining the ability to pull a face that can curdle milk! She is a bundle of contrasts, a walking delight, a brilliant conversationalist, both in ideas and vocabulary (the pronounced stammer that was with her last winter and stayed for two months went as suddenly as it came). She can run faster than I can, can throw, kick and catch a ball better than most boys a year or two older, has no fear when playing on her favourite swings or slide - her motto being "Higher - and More!" She is getting braver around animals although talks herself into being braver than she actually is. She says that she likes cats now because they don't follow her bottom, and will ask to stroke a dog (which is more than her mother does). She - somehow... is it genetic? .... can spot a goodlooking young man a mile off and still has her favourites including Seth, Ieuan and his brothers Robin and Richard, and our friend Rafii.
At this moment, she is excited to start playgroup tomorrow, can't wait to see her big sister, Rachey because "She's been at America TOO LOOOOOONG, Mummy!" loves to sing the Primary songs, and somewhere in the house she is probably asking for Mumble - which she can't have, because it's not bedtime. But it won't stop her asking, even though she knows it!
Caitlin brings so much fun and laughter and joy and delight to our lives. She is such a cherished and special little girl. Although I have tried to, mere words can't do my youngest daughter justice. To know her is to love her. And we do. Immeasurably.
Did you know that the month of August, when the whole country takes its holidays and the inhabitants thereof are collectively sunning themselves on every beach known to man, is the BUSIEST month for universities and therefore people who work there don't get to take massive amounts of time off? It's true. And so we were incredibly lucky that the Faculty Manager of the Social Sciences Admissions Office and also the School of International Development was able to take the last week off in July, and we were able to take a little 4 day break to the West Country. And it was lovely. And even more lovely because my brain switched off. For the first time this year I think. When you stay elsewhere you don't have to worry about cleaning, or doing the washing and ironing, or calling the plumber, or updating your blog, or planning two birthday parties, or any of the things on my typical things to do list.
We didn't leave too early for travelling down, and ended up in a park at lunchtime, with Steve pushing all the girls (!) on swings at various points. Then we headed - and this was a real hardship, but selflessly, with two teenage girls to think about - to a designer retail outlet. I know, I know, I'm kindness itself, but what can I say, I was born that way. Seriously though, happiness is having a husband who says "you three just go off and take your time, I'll take the little ones to the play area." Oh my man is a wonderful man! The retail outlet had the genius idea of hiring out Little Tikes Cosy Coupes for £2 per hour with a handle and shopping basket on the top. We had two of those but while Sam and Caitlin loved the novelty of them, they definitely preferred the idea of the playground, and who could blame them because it was really good! When we took them into the Hamleys outlet and said they could have something small each, Sam chose a growling lion - which didn't growl. It was the only lion in a box of assorted noise making animals and when I asked him if he wanted to swap it for another animal because his growl didn't work, Sam looked at me surprised and said "No, that's OK - I can make the growling noise myself!" Duh, Mummy!
Sam has another name he is very proud of, which only Laura calls him (and as Laura called him Ebeneezer when he was a baby, it could have been anything). She calls him Samsonite. And wasn't he over the moon to see his very own shop?
While Caitlin enjoyed shopping in the Gap outlet and trying on clothes with her sisters. Do you like the hat?
Our main reason for heading down that way was to do Longleat safari park and everything else there is to do there. Seriously, if you have never been there it is really good, at least two days worth of attractions. If you buy a "passport" which gives you one ticket to everything, you have got a good fifteen plus hours worth of attractions. But the main one is the safari park. We went when the girls were younger and have never seen Steve laugh as much as when the monkeys were climbing all over the car and one decided to distract us by... relieving his full bladder... down the windscreen, while another pulled the rubber seal from around the back window. Priceless. And costly! But unfortunately for us, and mercifully for our car, the monkey jungle was closed and we had to content ourselves with the giraffes...
This is... Mr and Mrs Tall - named and photo taken by Sam. The wall you can see is where we were standing. They were a bit standoffish at first and chose to be down the other end of their field, then when we drove down there, they walked up to the top. So we drove around again and were able to get closer.
Sam loved feeding the deer from the car window. It tickled when they slobbered over his hand. Caitlin loved... watching Sam, Jess and Rache feed them! By the time she got brave enough to even stand at the window, they'd moved on to another car!
The lions were a real favourite - we were told that when we were driving through Lion Country, we needed to have our windows up. For obvious reasons. And of course, we DID - most of the time. But photos through tinted windows aren't quite the same are they, and we were lucky the lions didn't mind us taking these: It's Mufasa!!!
After they stared us out while we took this, we thought it might be an idea to put the windows back up!!!
The tigers didn't bother to come over and say hello! We also saw elands, wolves, camels, dromedaries, llamas, wallabies (or Wabballies if you are Caitlin) and a ton of other animals whose names escape me right now!
With Sam a huge fan of Postman Pat, he LOVED visiting the Postman pat village at Longleat, as did Caitlin...
...... and also Rachel...
... and Jess' comment was probably the first time anything like that had ever been uttered in Greeendale.
"Get a load of Ajay!"
The Adventure Castle at Longleat was good enough that Sam and Caitlin - and Rache and Jess - could have spent the entire day there. Just as well as it wasn't a once-only attraction but you cold go in and out as many times as you wanted during the day. Brilliant for us as the next day it rained and rained and rained - the whole country had a deluge of it. And it was really wet and cold rain too! So we went back to the adventure castle on the wednesday too. See if you can spot which day was which!
The rain DID have its compensations (not including the fact that mine, Jess' and Caitlin's trainers all fell apart so the next day we had to buy new ones!) No, I was thinking about the fcat that the sea lions like the rain and so came out to play on the Safari boat ride. (Although the hippos went into hiding as apparently they don't like rain, cold, wind or heat!!!)
We have some lovely film footage of the sea lions jumping up to catch the fish bits that Steve, Caitlin and Sam were throwing to them. (I don't Do fish - especially touching raw bits!!)
We also saw Nico, Longleat's only gorilla (his friend Samba having died last year. Nico is too old to have another gorilla introduced into his world so he lives alone with a huge TV and Sky Plus package, and watches his favourite cartoon, which at the moment is SpongeBob!!!
Another bonus came in the shape of Sportacus from Lazytown who was there doing a show. On the Tuesday when the weather was nice, there were queues and queues outside the Lazytown Marquee for his show. On Wet Wednesday, we were a family among a smallish gathering, happy to get out of the rain for a little while. Sam and Caitlin loved watching the show, and Sam joined in with every move, exercise and dance. And Caitlin probably would have if I hadn't encouraged her to, pointed the camera, or LOOKED at her!!!
Our last day saw a trip to ANOTHER rtail outlet - well, we had to replace those trainers!!! But we only spent a short time there and then went on to the Fleet Air Arm museum in Yeovil... be still Rachel's beating heart!!! I have to say, though, that the museum was brilliant. Lots of hands on stuff to do, planes to sit in... and pose in...
This was a lovely holiday - not long enough but then, holidays never are! It was great to spend so much time together, with no other distractions. Especially with the busiest month of the year looming! Roll on those birthdays!
Amid a few grim and rainy summer days in July, Saturday July 11th dawned blue and bright, with occasional white wispy clouds and enough sun to shine beautifully but not to cause squinting or overheating. In short, just what Kirsty wanted for her wedding. It was a beautiful day, she - as you will see - was THE most beautiful bride ever, Rachel and Jess were stunning bridesmaids. Sam was very proud of looking so handsome in his new linen suit, and when Caitlin crept up the stairs, took a peep in Kirsty's bedroom and saw her in her beautiful dress, Caitlin said, "Kirsty, you look even more pretty than me!!!"
She was only half an hour late - poor Seth - and we all left their house pretty much at the same time, just asking the wedding car driver to give us a head start; Laura and Mum took Sam and Caitlin, I - with the middle seats taken out of the people carrier, took the bridesmaids in what now looked like a limo, and Steve and Kirsty rode in a nice Mercedes.
Seth's face was a picture as his beautiful bride came down the aisle, to Pachelbel's Canon played by Laura, the Best Woman. Talks were lovely, You Raise Me Up, sung by Deb, Laura and I was lovely too, even though I do say so myself (with no trumpet part in the song, I'm blowing it now!) It was great for the three of us to sing together - we've never done that before. It was always Deb and I when we were younger - a lot younger - and then Laura and Kirsty and I. It would have been even more special if Kirsty had been able to shimmy up to the stand and sing with us although we all grinned as she mimed along!
The bride and groom went back up the aisle to Silver Strand (The Corrs) played again by Laura, and after signing the register, the bride and groom headed outside for THESE. I hasten to add that THESE are not the official photos by Tom Arber Photography. Some are mine, some taken by friends, inclduing a good friend who is a photographer herself. Enjoy!
Bride and Groom, bridesmaids, Best Woman, and Seth's brother, Luke is the Best Man.
our family on the left and Seth's on the right.
Steve (he's not one for dressing up as EVERYONE knows, but he looked so scrummy! Sam - the other gorgeous boy in the suit, my sister Debby, Seth, Kirsty, Mum, Caitlin - who looked ALMOSt as pretty as Kirsty, Me, Laura, my neice Tori, her hubby, Kirk and my nephews, James and Ben. Phew.
The phenomenally beautiful bridesmaids!
Make mine a big slice! Seth's Mum, Kay, made the cake.
After all that, we went down to the Temple in Surrey. In our church we believe very much in life after death, and therefore that love and marriage continue on after death. Instead of getting married "til death do us part", we have a "sealing" ceremony, in the Temple, and on the same Saturday evening, Kirsty and Seth's marriage was sealed for eternity. Beautiful.
This was them on the way down.
In the words of U2... (no, not I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For...) it was A BEAUTIFUL DAY! The most wonderfully beautiful wedding I have ever been to, made even more special because the bride was my baby sister.
PS I've just read this over and seen a plethora of "beautiful" adjectives to the exclusion of all else. That's because a) I am sleep deprived b) it's late c)The day completely justified all 9 uses of the word beautiful d) all of the above.
I'm still playing catch-up with blogging events of the last couple of months, so here are a few highlights!
PLAYBARN
In May, while Rache and Jess were at Multi-Stake youth Convention, Steve and I took the littlies to the Playbarn - a fantastic play space with something for everyone at very good "let's-not-fleece-the-family-just-because-we-can" prices. Although Sam, Caitlin and I have been there on several occasions, it was Steve's first time. And he had fun! Sam enjoyed himself playing on the diggers; we all enjoed the tractor-trailer ride, especially seeing the week-old foal. Sam and Caitlin exhausted themselves on the indoor soft-play and the outdoor climbing apparatus, and Caitlin had a pony ride for the first time.! Sam has ridden every time we've been before, and this time rode Digger, but Caitlin has only got as far as having the hat put on her! This time - with Daddy walking beside her, which obviously made all the difference - she rode Diesel.
She ain't heavy, she's my sister!
But Sam is just a tiny bit heavier!
Happiness is... a tractor ride with Daddy,
and then my turn to drive!
and mine!
Sam and Digger!
And Caitlin scores a personal best with Diesel and Daddy!
(Although I don't really want to have to go through the whole horse thing again with these two!)
Did you think I would leave you crying, when there's room on my horse for two....
Hi ho Silver!!!!
FATHER'S DAY FUN!
TAKES 1, 2 AND 3!
REUNION!
In June, my sister and I took a road trip (only 4 hours!) down to Reading for the weekend for a reunion of Young Adults from... back in the day! We actually only knew a few of the people there, but they were worth seeing, and just hanging with my older sister for the weekend, getting ready to party, and breaking the sound barrier with our singing of 80's hits was DEFINITELY worth the trip!
Good friends from the London LDS Choir and young free and single days! Katrina, Sarah, me, Anton, Dave
Dave, Deb, me, Simon - all of us about 20 years older, and Simon no longer spends his time trying to put his tongue up his nose. Mercifully!
SEMINARY GRADUATION
Last month was seminary graduation, and Jess received a certificate for completing her first year of study. Despite not exactly loving the early morning start, she DID love starting her day with the spiritual buffer that being in early morning seminary with her friends gave her. She thoroughly enjoyed her teacher's lessons and even on the coldest, darkest, most tired mornings, when I asked her how her lesson went, she'd always say it was "really good" or "brilliant". Rachel has loved all four years, the first and last spent in early morning and the two in the middle as home study. While thrilled to be graduating she really felt a sense of loss that she wouldn't be starting her day in this way anymore. Roll on Institute. Along with some of the other graduates, she was asked to give a four minute talk, and bore a sweet testimony about the effect this four year course of scripture study has had in her life. As for me, I can't believe I have a daughter who has sat her A levels, is about to embark on a four year English and American History degree, enroll in Institute and has just seen her boyfriend off on his mission (Japan Tokyo). Aren't I too young for this? Just look at these beautiful girls of mine. At the risk of sounding just like my mum... I am SO incredibly proud of both of them.
Rache with her proud parents.
This glossy photo didn't scan well, but this is Rache posing, as all the graduates did, with the Stake President. Although he only tickled Rachel, as he's her uncle!!!
END OF TERM
It's been a good year all round academically. Jess has done well at school, and has just completed a two week work experience placement at the University of east Anglia, working in the Registry and the Vice-Chancellor's Office. To be honest, I was totally amazed at how much the world of work suits Jess. She completely looked the part, and as I drove her and Steve in each day and watched her walking in, and listened as she told us everything she'd been doing every evening, it just seemed to me that she is much more at home there than she is in school. She received glowing praise from the people she was working with, as they asked her to return as a temp when she turns 16. Among other things, she was helping to organise robes and gowns for graduations (Congregation as they call it), setting up databases and spreadsheets for various files, meeting and greeting and showing dignitaries around, in short, just getting on with the same jobs everyone else was doing. She did really well, and now misses it!
Rache has finished her A levels and will hopefully get the grades she needs for her first choice (UEA). In a couple of weeks time she heads out to Vegas for 5 weeks to stay with friends in the AAF - helping the mum with her family and new baby while the husband is away for training. She was thrilled to be asked and its a fantastic opportunity for her. I am SO excited for her. Results come while she is away so she will have to trust me to open them and phone her - and not string her along... SO tempting!!!
Caitlin has had her first visits to Playgroup and will be starting there three mornings a week from September. this last three months she has been attending an art club called Mucky Pups, every two weeks with her friend Annalisa. She has LOVED these friday mornings, and the trip to the park and picnic afterwards.
Sam had his sports day last week (one of those not-really-competitive-didn't-everyone-do-well events). Sam did very well at jumping through hoops (as well he might - he makes me jump through enough of them in the course of a day!!!) and mini-hurdles. We were out in force to cheer him on, with Laura making enough noise for all of us! Two of his highlights for the year - and its been a good year - was being one of two children in his class and year, to be made a "Free Reader". that means he was taken off the Oxford Reading Tree books (praise be) and is now reading well enough to choose any book from the library to read. As the youngest in his school, that's no mean feat. He was just as thrilled at being Mrs Dewing's (the headteacher) Star of the Day for his achievement.
The other certificate - the headteacher's award, plus a poetry book - with the inspiring title of Little Bo-Peep Has Knickers That Bleep - was for coming first in the fancy dress competition in Book week, where he had to dress as his favourite character from a story. Despite having a pirate costume, and pirate story books, and a Buzz Lightyear costume and a Postman Pat dressing up outfit, Sam decided he wanted to go as Woody from Toy Story. Which he doesn't have. So ever up for a challenge, and just happening to have some cow print material lurking in a cupboard, I set about making him a Woody costume. The day before. So among the Disney store bought Cinderellas, Snow Whites, Sleeping Beauties, and even the odd Incredible Hulk, Sam won first prize. The certficate and book are his but the glory is all mine!!!
Just to whet your appetite before I go - my sister Kirsty got married last saturday - she was the most beautiful bride I have EVER seen. I'll be posting a whole ton of photos for your delight in a few days.
Well, it's been a busy few months and I haven't had much time for blogging as must be glaringly apparent! But there are a few things to catch up on so I'm planning on blogging furiously over the next week or so.
In May, Steve's family came over from Bermuda for a visit. Now, anyone who knows me really well, knows that I do not do stress ever so well, and that I was getting marginally, just a little bit, ever so slightly stressed over the logistics of the impending visit. Steve, of course, was so laid back about it, he was passed horizontal and coming back the other way! But I needn't have worried. I learned a lot about myself in that two weeks. I learned that I DON'T actually have to have everything perfect in order for us to have a good time. I learned that its OK to let guests help out and muck in, and that it's not a personal slight to my Superwoman capabilities for them to want to do so. I learned that going with the flow is sometimes better than having a regimented plan, and that if the flow goes less than smoothly, the world isn't going to fall apart. I also learned that the older generation can be very outspoken, and you shouldn't take offense because it isn't intended - it's just how they are!
It was a real treat to have Aunt Jeanette staying. She was generous to a fault, with her time and with her help, and we all felt that we grew quite close to her while she was here and we were sorry to see her go, and missed her. Uncle Donald and Aunt Helen were great to have around, and we were able to learn a lot about Steve's Mum's childhood and about other family members from them. (Seeing Uncle Donald also gives me a glimpse of what Steve will look like in thirty or forty years time!) Sam was able to remember when they were here a year ago, showing Uncle Donald as soon as he set foot in the door, the train his uncle had bought him then. Caitlin spent the first half of the week wailing "Mummy, that man's getting me!" Me: "Caitlin, it's not THAT MAN, what's his name?" Caitlin:"Sometimes I can't remember!" Me: "Well, what's his name when you can remember?" Caitlin: "Uncle DODALD!" After they went, and we drove past the Golden Arches, she'd say: "Mummy!" (like she'd had a flash of inspiration) "McDonalds, and Uncle Dodald - they rhyme!"
It was lovely having Steve home for the best part of two weeks, and we had fun going out and about; trips to Yarmouth, Sandringham (doggy doo-doo on Aunt Jeanett's shoe aside - honestly, those corgis!!!), a Manchester United game for Steve and AJ, and various other days out.
At the Model Village in Yarmouth...
And after lunch in Pizza Hut, Aunt Jeanette looks on while Caitlin tackles a huge bowl of icecream, sauce, smarties, sprinkles... you know, one of those healthy desserts!
Quick while she's not looking!
Sam shows off his millinery creation!!! Truly a one-off design!
We went out to dinner with Uncle Donald and Aunt Helen on their last Saturday evening, and despite waiting an eternity for our food, and the first course not being entirely delightful, we had a great time. With a little word from me in the manager's ear, our desserts were complimentary and she suggested we order big because of it. Jess did.
And when it all got a bit to much she decided to share!
Sam wishes...
Rache and Aunt Helen
A walk to one of our favourite places, Catton Park.
A BIG hug for THAT MAN - Uncle Dodald!
Family is so important. I can't tell you how glad I am that we had these two weeks with Steve's. When they announce their next visit, and I hope they do it soon, I can spend the few weeks before it with eager anticipation, rather than blind panic!
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